Parted Minds
by OhTex
Summary: The Doctor, Fred, Amy and Rory have been happily travelling together for the past seven months but when they travel to planet Acadess, it seems someone is determined to part them...11/OC Amy/Rory
1. Journey To A Planet Reclaimed

A/N: Hello all! So, I'm starting a new story! Exciting, eh? So this takes place after _'Four Minds'_ (which I will continue to update whenever I can) and is more action packed. I hope you enjoy this first little chapter...there's more to come soon!

Journey To A Planet Reclaimed

"Righty-ho!" The Doctor raced around the console excitedly, beaming at his three companions. "We are off to a planet on the outer edges of the universe, far in your futures. Picture it: the year is 6386.001 and the human race, now experts in space travel, stumble across the peaceful – and frankly rather lovely – Acadessi race. Well, that year is now!" The Doctor grinned wider and flicked a final switch. The TARDIS engine whirred and they all grabbed onto the rail, wincing as the TARDIS took them across the universe and through time.

They had just returned from a visit home; Amy and Rory had stayed in Leadworth and Fred stopped with her parents for the weekend in Herefordshire. After some persuading, the Doctor consented to go with Fred to her family's home and stay there. Fred's mother loved him, feeding him cake and dinners and telling him stories about her time as a dancer in the sixties. Much to his surprise, the Doctor had rather enjoyed it and had been grateful for the company; he hadn't much relished the idea of being alone while his companions visited their families.

As much as Fred sometimes missed her family whilst travelling, she was very happy when she and the Doctor got back in the TARDIS and were reunited with Amy and Rory in Leadworth. They had set off again immediately, the Doctor desperate to be out of Leadworth because he claimed it was "so _dull"_. When Amy glared at him he corrected himself hastily,

"I mean peaceful! Dull means peaceful! And quiet and...relaxing and very, very pleasant!"

No sooner had they unpacked the clothes they had with them for the weekend, the Doctor had announced that he knew a planet that would be perfect for their first adventure after their little break.

"It's nice and quiet! Just what we need to get us back into the swing of things!"

And so here they were, clinging onto the rail surrounding the console for dear life, waiting for the TARDIS to stop. At last, the TARDIS stilled and the Doctor clapped his hands excitedly.

"Right! Something a bit different this time! We are currently just outside Acadess' atmosphere. _"Why?"_ I hear you ask!"

His three companions were silent.

"Alright, I don't but I'll tell you anyway! We haven't landed yet because I want you to see this planet from afar before we land. Honestly, it's such a magnificent colour! It's a sort of purpley/bluey colour and get this: it's glittery! Honestly! The seas glitter! How brilliant is that?"

"Wow!" Fred's eyes were wide. "Put it on the screen! Let's see!"

With a flourish, the Doctor pressed a glowing orange button and the live picture appeared behind him as he grinned, thinking he'd really impressed them this time. Instead he was surprised to see the three of them frown.

"Doctor," Rory began. "It's not glittery. In fact, it's not even bluey purple. It's just red. It's glowing, dark red."

The Doctor tutted. "Don't be a silly sausage, Rory! Of course it's – " He stopped as soon as he turned and saw the picture himself. Sure enough, the whole planet was now an eerie glowing red. "What? This can't be! We must have gone to the wrong place..."

"You are not in the wrong place, Doctor." A deep voice filled the air, making them all jump. As it spoke, the lights dimmed until their only source of light was the unnerving red glow of the planet Acadess.

"Who are you?" The Doctor demanded. "What do you want? What have you done to the Acadessi?"

"So many questions, Doctor. So many answers I will not give you. Not yet, at least."

As the TARDIS floated closer to Acadess, Fred noticed something inside the planet; something seemed to be living inside the planet itself.

"Doctor, what's that?" Fred pointed to the odd flesh colour concealed in the red glow.

"It is us, Winifred." The voice answered.

"Us?" Fred questioned, eyebrows raised. She huffed. "You know, I would feel a lot better if I could actually _see_ who I was talking to."

The voice gave a chuckle. "Of course. Forgive me. Where are my manners?"

The red glow eased into a softer light and something emerged. Behind her, Fred heard Amy take in a breath. The thing that had appeared was very thin, like it had been stretched out and its skin was an off white and looked wet. As it came closer to the TARDIS' screen, Fred gaped as she saw that the thing's eyes were moving but seemingly unseeing as they were covered by a layer of skin, like they hadn't properly formed. Its mouth looked soft, too soft to be human.

"Doctor, they look like foetuses." Rory said from behind Fred and the Doctor. "They look like stretched foetuses."

The thing laughed, revealing just gums instead of teeth. "Perhaps to you, Rory Pond. But to us, we look just how we are supposed to but..."

Suddenly, there was a horrible squelching noise and they all jumped – except the Doctor who simply glared – and the thing appeared in the console room and in front of the live shot of Acadess.

"For you, Mr and Mrs Pond, Miss Knight, Doctor...for you, we will be whatever you like. If you would like us to blend in with you, we will."

And with that, the being began to change, its bones becoming more prominent and its height shrinking down to Rory's level. Hair began sprouting out of its head and its skin smoothed, becoming more matte; more human. The skin over its eyes slid away, revealing piercing green orbs. Lastly, dark smoke appeared around it. The smoke covered the being and formed into clothes. When it had cleared, a seemingly human man stood in front of them, a devilish grin on his face.

"You see?" It said, its voice still the same deep tone. "I can be like you if it makes you more comfortable. And I think you may need to be more at ease because I am about to change your little lives."

"What do want?" The Doctor growled, angry that something had entered his TARDIS without his permission.

The man looked at the Doctor and studied him, his head tilted to his side. He was sinister to watch, while his body was human, he didn't move like a human at all. He was far too slow, too precise to be human. "You do not like me, Doctor. Why? You know nothing about me yet."

The Doctor glanced at the man's hair. "You're ginger and I'm not. That's reason enough."

The man laughed. "Ah, yes. You've always wanted to be ginger, haven't you, Doctor? You've tried eleven times but still...no red hair."

"How do you know us?" Fred demanded.

"It's my job to know you, Winifred Knight. It's my job to know everything there is to know about you."

"Why?"

"Because only when I know you can I decide what your fate should be. Now I know you, your fate is very much in my hands now, travellers. It is now my decision whether you will live or die."

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><p><em>So there we are! Chapter 1 is done...I hope that's whetted your appetite for more!<em>

_I'm not sure how long this story is going to be. All I know is that it won't be as long as 'Mind Games' but fingers crossed that you'll like just as much. I've planned out the first three or four chapters and I know how I want it to end but I'm not sure how long it'll take me to get there!_

_Anywoodle, please leave a review!_


	2. The Parters

A/N: Hey all! I'm so happy to see you're all aboard for another story...I've worked out a plan for this one and I think it's going to be 15 chapters which is longer than I originally thought but never mind! Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed the first chapter:

**Simpa007, MayFairy, padmay97, alyssa love, Jo Brookes, Shifuni** and **Brownbug**. Thanks guys!

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><p><span>The Parters<span>

"Right," The Doctor began, obviously angry. "You tell me who you are and what you want right now or me and my old girl will do something nasty to you. I'm thinking something involving decompression and your nice new human body flying into space."

The man chuckled. "An empty threat, Doctor. You will not harm me."

"He might not." Fred said dangerously, her right hand itching to pull out the knife concealed in her boot. If the Doctor knew it was there, he'd probably go mental but right now it could save their lives.

The man laughed again. "Let me correct that statement, Miss Knight: you _cannot_ harm me. You cannot inflict any injury upon me, however skilled you may be with that knife concealed in your boot."

Fred's three friends all looked at her and she avoided their gaze, knowing that they weren't really comfortable with the idea of weapons. The Doctor in particular glared at her but realised that now really wasn't the time to address the issue. He had a far bigger foe on board his beloved TARDIS. He gritted his teeth and said again,

"What do you want?"

The man wandered up the steps towards them with inhuman grace and sat on one of the white seats near the console. They all backed off for him as he reclined in the chair, looking relaxed.

"Your anger does not alarm me, Doctor. But I will tell you more of myself and my brothers as you requested." Before he continued, the man became transfixed by his new long, pale fingers. He twirled them in the air, muttering to himself. "How odd. Beautiful things, human. Dense but beautiful. It's almost a shame I will have to change back. But never mind that, I shall tell more of myself and my brothers. We began in the shadows, growing and developing, becoming intelligent out of the sight of the Acadessi until we became too many to remain anonymous. Our need to be connected was too great and so we overtook them."

"You killed them." The Doctor's jaw was tight.

"We did not kill them, Doctor. They were...relocated as far as we understand."

"As far as you understand?"

The man nodded. "We did not remove them. They were removed by something we were immune to. Before you ask, Doctor: no, we do not know what it was. After examination, we assumed it was a mass teleportation system but we found no evidence on that technology on the surface or below. So we made Acadess our own, satisfied that they were gone."

"And this is what you turned Acadess – stunning and peaceful Acadess – into: a red orb."

The man shrugged. "That red orb keeps us alive, Doctor. That red orb is our food, our strength, our shelter. It is where we reside when we are no working."

"Working?" Amy repeated, arms crossed. "Is that what you're doing now?"

"It is indeed, Mrs Pond."

"And what is your job? What species are you?" The Doctor asked, his patience running thin.

The man looked pleased. "Ah yes. Your TARDIS cannot scan me. She cannot scan me because I do not exist, not out of this human body at least. Once I am out of this body and back into my natural form, I am just a piece of the planet."

"Then what are you?"

"They call us the Parters."

"Who are 'they'?" Rory asked, confused.

"Beings like you. Beings that have come across us and have suffered at our hands."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh, great. Well done. Suffering: fantastic. Why is it new species feel like have to make their mark by attacking others?" He sighed and shook his head. Fred glanced at him and she could see anger had tensed his body. Part of her wanted to put her arms around him and take the stress and anger away from him and turn him back into the happy-go-lucky Doctor she knew. But another part of her couldn't help wanting to push him more, wondering how angry he could get, wondering what he'd do to the Parters if he was _really_ angry.

She shook herself and the Parter grinned at her from his chair. Evidently, he knew what she was thinking but he sat back and kept it to himself, smug that he truly understood the darker side of Winifred Knight; the side that joined the Master and still sometimes, in her darkest thoughts and dreams, still longer to be with him. The part of her that would kill to get what she wanted. He cleared his throat and said,

"Well, now you know all about us, all that remains is to work out how we are going to make you all suffer." He rose slowly from the chair and studied them. "Mr. Pond wanted to know why we are called the Parters. It is simple: we divide the crew of the ships we encounter. We create such a schism between them they never see each other again." He paused and gave a wry smile. "Or they never want to, at least."

The Doctor snorted. "You can't take control of the TARDIS. It's impossible."

"Oh, Doctor! I didn't say anything about the TARDIS. I have the power to part you inside me." He raised his hands and golden energy crackled around his fingers. "Now...who's first?"

The Doctor grabbed Fred's hand and bellowed "RUN!"

They all darted up the stairs and towards the door exiting the console room on the floor above but before they could get to it, it slammed shut. The Doctor pulled out the sonic with his free hand, his left still gripping Fred's hand tightly, not willing to let her go. The sonic glowed but the door remained shut. Behind them, there was a deep laugh.

"When I said I couldn't control the TARDIS, I meant I couldn't force her to take you anywhere. I do, however, have complete control over her interior which I didn't intend to exploit until you all decided that running away would be the best plan. Tut, tut."

He took in the four of them stood at the top of the stairs, his piercing eyes noticing Amy and Rory holding hands and the Doctor and Fred doing the same. The Parter raised his hands again. "Now, I think I'll be nice and separate you into twos but...which one shall I remove first?" He grinned. "Miss Knight, I think."

The golden energy hit her square in the chest and surrounded her. Her eyes widened and the Doctor felt his own hand beginning to tingle because of her hand in his. He turned to Amy and Rory, thinking he was next.

"Don't worry...we'll find you." He said. "We'll all see each other again." Next to him, there was a flash of light and Fred disappeared. The Doctor waited for the tingle but it didn't come. The Parter laughed again.

"Oh, no, Doctor. You won't be following Miss Knight. I think I'll break that little romance up. So next, I think we'll have...Mr Williams."

The light hit Rory this time and Amy screamed. "NO! NO PLEASE!"

Rory looked at his wife, eyes shining. "I'll see you soon. I promise." And with that, there was another flash and Rory was gone.

The Doctor and Amy rounded on the Parter who seemed incredibly amused by the situation. "Now," he said. "You two next." Light hit them both this time, and they were both blinded by light. Their feet left the ground and they hovered in the air, blind and unable to breath. Then suddenly, their feet hit solid ground and they fell, their faces in thick grass. The Doctor stood and helped Amy to her feet. They both looked around at their surroundings, the Doctor's hearts sinking when he realised that the TARDIS had not been transported with them. He and Amy were alone.

"Doctor, I think this is Earth."

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><p><em>So they've all gone their separate ways...Rory and Fred one way and Amy and the Doctor the other! Next chapter, we get Rory's story! See you then!<em>

_Please leave a review!_


	3. 2 & 2: Amy and the Doctor

**A/N:** Yay! Another chapter! I seem to be churning one out every Sunday! I initially thought this one would be really short but it's turned out to be a pretty good length. I know I initially said this chapter would be about Rory, but I've decided to re-jig this chapter and the next one (so Rory will be next!). Anywho, big loves to all who reviewed the last chapter:

**MayFairy, Simpa007, alyssa love, padmay97, Mrs. 11****th****, Shifuni **and** Brownbug.** Thanks guys!

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><p><span>2 &amp; 2: Amy and the Doctor<span>

The Doctor pulled out the sonic and scanned the surrounding area, desperate to feel like he still had control of the situation. He and Amy were stood in a small wood. In the distance, they could see cars driving past so the Doctor could breathe a sigh of relief that were at least in modern times. The end of the sonic flicked open and the Doctor read the results, once again relieved by what he saw.

"Earth, 2007."

"Oh, thank god!" Amy exclaimed.

"Yes, that's something at least." The Doctor was too preoccupied, his brain was desperately trying to pull out some solution. No Fred, no Rory, no TARDIS. He let the feeling of despair linger for only a moment before pushing it aside and straightening up. Things could surely be a lot worse; he still had Amy and the sonic didn't he? And at least they had landed somewhere familiar with plenty of technology to play around with. He took another look at his surroundings. Not bad, not bad at all.

"Come along, Pond." He said to Amy, who was also glancing around. "We'd better find out where we are."

They both set off towards the road they could see in the distance. When they reached it, the Doctor poked his head through the trees and gawped at the cars whizzing past. Several drivers and passengers looked at him oddly. Amy tugged at his jacket.

"Doctor, acting like an idiot really isn't helping right now." She pulled him next to her, both camouflaged by the tress again. "We need to find Rory and Fred. Where would they be?"

"Amy, I don't really know where we are yet."

"You said Earth!"

"Yes, yes, we are on Earth but where?"

Amy rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Does it really matter? We just need to find them!"

"Of course it matters! Besides, if we're in 2007 that means there might be another me running about the place. And you. We need to be careful."

They both slid out from behind the trees and dashed across the road. The road led to an expensive suburban area with large detached houses and double garages. The Doctor searched for a sign post, telling them at least what country they were in. It was undoubtedly Britain but where he had no idea. Amy wandered down the road behind, walking in circles and peering at all the expensive houses. She whistled.

"Well, it's definitely not Scotland. No houses like this there."

"Ah!" The Doctor cried suddenly, charging towards someone's garden wall. "Moss! Brilliant! This should be able to tell us something!" He pulled a piece out of the wall.

"Doctor!" Amy called, studying a sign.

"Did you know, Pond, that Moss holds an awful lot of information. More than a lot of brains do. When scanned correctly, you can access all sorts of things about the local area."

"Doctor!"

"Average temperature, fume levels, average rainfall etcetera. Useful stuff."

"Doctor!"

"So from this little bit of moss we can work out where we are!"

"Yes, Hereford." Amy said, rolling her eyes. He never seemed to listen to her, especially when he started off on one of his rants.

"And the moss says...mid-range average temperature. Not a massive amount of rainfall. High fume levels. Sounds like we're in South England."

"Hereford."

"Yes, Hereford! Exactly, Pond! See, Pond, that wasn't so...hang on. How did _you_ know?"

She pointed at the sign with a weary sign. It read, _Welcome to Hereford_ in large, bold letters. The Doctor winced.

"Ah, well, yes. I suppose we could have just looked at the sign but where would have been the fun in that?"

"Doctor!" Amy wined. "I don't want to have fun, I just want to find my husband and my friend and make sure they're safe! And if that means travelling across the world to find them, I will just _please_ can we find where they are and go and get them without all of this messing around."

The Doctor saw the fear and desperation in his best friends eyes and nodded, tucking the sonic back into his pocket. "Yes. Yes, you're right. Let's get into the centre of Hereford and see where we can go from there."

Amy gave a satisfied smile and they both set off past the sign and down the main road. It looked like the most likely route to the centre. They fell into a comfortable silence, both trying not to show how anxious they were about the four of them being split up.

"Amy," The Doctor began tentatively. "Amy, Fred and Rory..."

"What? What about them?"

"They might not be here. They might not be on Earth. In fact, I'm pretty sure they're not."

Amy groaned. "So you're telling me I've lost my friend, my husband and our ship and we have no idea where they all are in the universe?"

The Doctor made a face. "Err, yes. That's about right."

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><p>"Doctor, I need to rest." Amy said, lagging behind him as they finally reached the centre of Hereford. It took them well over an hour, nearly two, on foot but the Doctor was sure it was worth it. Being in the centre of things was always better.<p>

"Honestly, Pond! No stamina!"

"Can we please just have a sit down and a think instead of wandering around?" Amy gestured toward a cafe. The Doctor agreed grudgingly. He didn't like sitting down. But, he reasoned, he did want to get away from all the shops and the bustle of Hereford city centre. It reminded him too much of Fred. She lived here, her family lived here and he had met her here for the first time. He missed her already.

Just as he and Amy were entering the cafe, the Doctor felt his head turn and his vision blurred. He staggered and clung on to Amy, who looked at him, alarmed. The Doctor could see her mouth moving faintly but he couldn't hear anything. His hearing had almost completely gone and everything was muffled as though he was underwater. Suddenly, all he could here was a voice. A wonderful, familiar welcome voice. Fred's voice.

"_Doctor?"_ She said. The Doctor strained to hear. It wasn't like she was nearby talking to him, it was like she was a long way away, calling to him. _"Doctor? Please don't leave me. Not again. Don't leave me on my own. Help me."_

As quickly as it had arrived, it went. His vision sharpened again, his hearing returned and his head felt normal. Amy gripped his shoulders. "Doctor? Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He said shakily. "Yeah, fine. I just...I heard her."

Amy frowned, confused. "What?"

"I heard Fred. She was inside my head. Like her thoughts had bled into mine for a minute."

Amy sighed, seemingly angry. "It's them isn't it? The Parters? They're messing with us."

The Doctor nodded, too shaken to speak properly. Amy studied him.

"Come on. You need a sit down. I'll order some tea."

"I don't understand this." Amy said, setting her teacup down with a clink. "How can this...thing...just transport us wherever the hell it wants in the universe just for fun?"

The Doctor sighed. In truth, he had no idea. He had never heard of the Parters before and that troubled him. Something as unusual as them he surely would have known about. Or at least he should have known about the Acadessi losing their home planet. But no, nothing. Something didn't sit right in the Doctor's mind about this. There was something he was missing, he was sure of it.

They needed to get back to where they were. They needed to get back to Acadess and confront these Parters. Then it hit him.

"I know where they are!"

Amy choked on her tea. "What? How? Where?"

"Remember when the Parter was talking about the war? He seemed so proud of it but he didn't really tell us what happened. He deliberately left it open."

"So he's put them on Acadess?" Amy asked, only half following along.

"More than that!" The Doctor said, excited they were finally getting somewhere. "He's taken them back in time!"

Amy gaped. "He's put them in the war?"

The Doctor nodded. It made sense! He sat back in his chair and slurped on his tea. Amy's face fell suddenly. The Doctor frowned. "What?"

"Well, it hasn't helped much, has it? I mean, it's good that we've worked out where they are but how are we going to get there? It's over the other side of the universe _and_ it's way in the future."

For a moment, the Doctor was stumped before he grinned so widely, Amy though he was going to explode. He stood up and pulled Amy to her feet.

"2007, eh? Good year...I've got a good friend in this year." He beamed as they left the cafe, Amy confused. The Doctor looked to his left and then to his right before squinting at a sign in the middle of the square that arrows pointing in all different directions. He grinned again and he strode off to the right.

"Doctor?" Amy trotted after him, wincing as her feet protested. "Doctor where are we going? I'm going to need some sleep soon, you know. Humans need rest!"

"Don't worry, Pond!" The Doctor said with glee. "You can sleep on the train!"

"The train?"

"Oh, yes!" The Doctor beamed. "We're going to Cardiff."

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><p><em>Guess who? Hahaha! Hope you enjoyed it.<em>

_Please leave a review!_


	4. 2 & 2: Rory Williams

**A/N:** Hey all! Once again, I thought this was going to be a little chapter but it turned out a good length! I hope you like it...I know it's a bit weird but hopefully not so weird you can't follow along! Thanks to all who reviewed "2 & 2: Amy and the Doctor":

**Simpa007, Rwyf-Yn-y-Blaidd-Drwg, MayFairy, Mrs. 11****th****, James Birdsong, D0ctor, padmay97, alyssa love, Keely Matthews **_(hi Keely! I'm so glad you love this series and Fred!)_** and Shifuni**. Thanks my lovelies!

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><p><span>2 &amp; 2: Rory Williams<span>

When Rory Williams woke up, he was face down in dark red dust. He spluttered and pulled himself up onto his knees, wheezing and coughing. He brushed the dirt off his nose and chin and took in his surroundings. He squinted, the bright sunlight attacking his eyes. He felt dreadful, as though he was suffering from the worst hangover of his life.

He was knelt on a steep slope. He turned and glanced behind him. There was nothing expect an expanse of red dust as far as the eye could see. Fred was nowhere in sight. Rory felt panic twist in his stomach. He was alone in a place he didn't recognise and he was damned thirsty. His throat felt like sandpaper.

He scrambled to his feet and his head way suddenly way too light. His eyes were heavy and his ears felt like they'd been stuffed with cotton wool. Then he heard a voice. A familiar, beautiful voice. Amy's voice.

_'Rory...Rory. Where are you? Wait for us. Wait for me. I'm coming, I promise.'_

Then Rory's senses were set free again; his sight and hearing fully returned, not that there was anything around to see or hear. What should he do? Where should he go? What would the Doctor do if he was here?

_Breathe, Rory. Breathe...keep calm. It'll work out; things always do._ With a nod to assure himself more than anything else, Rory straightened up and began walking up the steep hill in front of him. He puffed and panted, trying to quench all feelings of despair while searching his mind for any information from all those survival television shows he'd seen at home. Build a shelter...isn't that always the first thing? Or is it to find a source of food? Oh god, why couldn't he remember?

But as he reached the summit of the hill, it became apparent that he didn't need to build a shelter. There was already one on the horizon; a huge, gleaming, silver building stretching wide and high. He stood stock still, shocked, until he heard an undistinguishable shout to his right. Suddenly, four figures, all dressed in sleek, dark midnight blue military suits and gleaming black helmets raced towards him. Too exhausted and helpless to do anything, Rory let them seize him. Besides, what else could he do? It wasn't like he had a plan.

Two of the figures held his arms while the other two were muttering to each other, their voices muffled by their helmets. After a moment of discomfort for Rory as he hung limply between two of the figures, the other two figures finally faced him again.

"What do you reckon?" The one holding his left arm said in a deep voice. "Enemy?"

"Maybe." Another said. This one was also male, but he sounded much gruffer. Rory immediately decided he didn't want to cross this man. "But he looks human so we can't be sure."

"Let's take him to the Commander." This one was female and she sounded sharp. She stood close to the gruff figure and glanced at him, checking to see he approved.

He nodded and said simply, "Bring him."

Rory barely protested as they pushed a bag over his head and dragged him along behind them. All he could think was: _Why have I been left waiting again?_

He watched the tracks his feet made in the dirt as they pulled him along, inching closer and closer to the building on the horizon.

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><p>The next thing Rory knew, he was sat on a cold, steel chair and the rough bag over his head was being pulled off. He blinked at the sudden bright, unnatural light. He was in a small, windowless room surrounded by the people who had brought him here. This time, they had all removed their helmets. One of them was sat in his eye-line, looking at him. Rory presumed it was the gruff one from before as his face was slightly craggy, stubbly and scarred. His eyes were narrow and bright blue. A cigarette dangled from one side of his mouth.<p>

Rory tried to avoid his intense gaze and study the others instead. Only when he looked properly at the others did he realise that one of them was missing. Rory saw two other men, one tall and well built; the other shorter and slimmer. Rory couldn't see the woman he had heard earlier. He took another glance around the room and saw two large boxes of weapons and piles of paper. They looked like blueprints.

Rory struggled against the bonds holding him to his seat. His mind was slowly losing its fuzziness; everything was looking clearer again as – unfortunately – was his situation. Earlier, he hadn't fully been able to comprehend what was going on; his mind had been all over the place from arriving...wherever he was. But now, he was beginning to panic. Where the hell was he and how the hell was going to find Amy and the Doctor again? And where on earth was Fred? Hadn't the Parter said that they were going together?

"Don't bother struggling." The gruff one said, polishing the rifle led across his lap. "Those chains are too tight."

Oddly Rory felt relieved when he spoke. The man's voice, as rough as it was, clearly held an American accent. This man was human. All of these people were human. He sighed, feeling a percentage of panic leaving him. At least he was among people who understood him.

"Where am I?" Rory asked huskily, his throat and mouth still painfully dry.

The man studied him for a moment, before standing and walking over to a small table in the corner. He picked up a large bottle and walked back to Rory who was alarmed until the man leaned over him, unlocked the chains holding him and handed him the bottled water. Rory blinked, surprised and glugged down the ice cold water. The man sat back down in the seat opposite him again.

"Where am I?" Rory asked again. He sensed these people didn't want to hurt him. But then why was he here?

"Planet Acadess. Don't worry about that yet. Not your concern for now."

Before Rory could properly process this new piece of information, the door slid open and a woman strode inside. It was the female figure from earlier. "Keep him here. The Commander's coming now." She had cropped, light hair and tanned skin. Her eyes were sharp and grey and her face looked angular. The gruff man beside her nodded and she sat next him, fiddling with a small device she had pulled out from her pocket.

The next five minutes were spent in silence, expect for the occasional whisper passed between the two men at the back of the room. Just when the silence felt like it was getting heavy, the door slid open again. In stepped a figure in the same deep blue suits the others were wearing only this suit had flashes of silver on it. This was the Commander. Rory couldn't see his face as he still had the helmet on. He walked slowly and purposefully towards Rory before crouching down to his level and slowly lifting up the visor.

Rory gaped and the Commander grinned.

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><p>Three hours later, Rory Williams was enrolled into the fast track training programme.<p>

Two weeks later, Private Rory Williams killed his first man.

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><p><em>YAY! Badass Rory! But where's Fred? Is she even in the same placetime?_

_You'll find out soon, I promise._

_Please leave a review!_


	5. Friends Old and Friends Lost

**A/N:** Hello all! A quick update for you! I know some of you have had some concerns with Rory being a soldier...don't worry I'm not going to change his character into a ruthless mass murder; I love him too much for that! They'll be more explanation of his story and how he killed for the first time in chapter 6. But, in the mean time, I hope you enjoy chapter 5...Amy and the Doctor arrive in Cardiff! Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter:

**MayFairy, Shifuni, Rwyf-Yn-y-Blaidd-Drwg, Simpa007, D0ctor, alyssa love **and** Mrs. 11****th****. **You lot are the fish to my custard!

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><p><span>Friends Old and Friends Lost<span>

By the time they arrived in Cardiff, it was pitch black and Amy was acutely aware that she should be asleep by now.

"Doctor, I still don't understand! How will coming to Cardiff help us find Rory and Fred? And what the hell is Torchwood?" Amy scurried along next to the Doctor whilst trying to ignore the dull ache of tiredness behind her eyes.

"Torchwood is our friend. Or rather, the leader of Torchwood is." The Doctor grinned as they strode out of the Cardiff Bay train station. He sniffed the air. "Ahh, yes! This way Pond!"

Amy scowled but followed him nonetheless. After ten more minutes of walking and listen to the Doctor prattle on about thing that weren't really very important or relevant, they came to an abrupt stop. The Doctor looked around, wide eyed.

"Doctor?" Amy whispered. "What are we waiting for?"

"We're waiting for someone to come and arrest us." The Doctor said quite calmly.

Amy gaped. "What do you mean _arrest us?_ Why would they arrest us? And why are we _waiting _for them to arrest us?"

The Doctor held up a hand, exasperated and bored. "Honestly, Pond. Keep up. We need to get into Torchwood." Amy just looked at him and he continued, huffing and rolling his eyes. "_So_, we wait here until we're arrested and then..._voila! _We're inside." The Doctor glanced around. "Hmmm. Looks like no one's coming. Better attract their attention." He whipped out the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and began pointing it everything in sight.

"Oh." Amy paused for a moment, watching him, before several other questions sprang up inside her head. "So what is Torchwood? A building?"

The Doctor snorted. "No, no, no, Pond. Torchwood are a group...an organisation of you will. They protect the Earth against the threat of alien invasion. I don't always approve of their methods but there you go. Overall, they're not bad chaps. And chapettes of course."

Amy frowned again. "But won't they just try and kill you? You're alien too!"

"Nah! Not when the leader's my mate." The Doctor frowned at his own words. "Not my mate. 'Mate' can mean something else, can't it? I meant chum. Not mate. Never mate."

"Only in your dreams." A voice said from behind them. They both turned sharply to see a tall, handsome man in a long, vintage military coat addressing them. He looked at the Doctor with a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

"Doctor?" He asked, his accent American.

The Doctor nodded, beaming. "It's me, Jack. It is me, I promise."

After only a second of hesitation Jack raced towards him, pulling him into a bear hug. When they parted, Jack planted a kiss on the Doctor's lips and grinned. The Doctor turned white, then red and patted Jack awkwardly on the shoulder.

"Yes, yes...er, good to see you too, Jack."

Amy spluttered with laughter, blinking at how this man's actions and the Doctor's flustered state. Jack turned his attention to the red head and flashed her a dazzling smile, showing perfect white teeth.

"And _who_ is this?"

"This," The Doctor began, placing a protective arm around her. "Is Amy Pond."

Amy smiled him. Jack held out his hand and said smoothly,

"Hello, Amy. Captain Jack Harkness. It's a pleasure to meet you. A great, wonderful pleasure."

"Don't!" The Doctor cried.

* * *

><p>Torchwood was dark; at this late time, the rest of Jack's team had already gone home. Jack, however, never seemed to go home. In fact, the Doctor wasn't sure he <em>had<em> a home. The only light was in Jack's office and that's where he and Amy sat. Amy looked overwhelmed by something; the Doctor wasn't sure what. Maybe the fact that Torchwood existed and she never knew about it. Maybe it was the fact that more people knew about aliens than she thought. Or maybe it was just Jack. The latter was probably most likely.

"Married, eh?" Jack Harkness said, coming back into his office with two mugs of tea and one of coffee for himself.

"Yes!" The Doctor said as more of a warning than confirmation. "So no flirting!"

Amy grinned at Jack who winked back and said, "So if you're married, where's your husband?"

Amy's face fell and the Doctor began, "Well, we've sort of...lost him."

"Lost him?" Jack repeated, amused. "Now that is convenient." He winked at Amy again but she didn't smile this time.

Jack sat back in his chair and studied the two of them. His eyes stopped on the Doctor. "I didn't know you'd regenerated."

The Doctor squinted at Jack. "Now, I'm not sure where we are." Had Jack even met his Tenth incarnation yet? The Doctor needed to find out but he also needed to tread carefully. "If I said the word _Valiant_ to you what would you – "

"The Master." Jack spat, his face suddenly dark.

"Ahhh, yes. So we have done that! Good, good. Well...not _good_ obviously but I'm glad we're all up to date!" The Doctor relaxed a little, knowing he wasn't altering his and Jack's timeline. "So, we need your help, Jack."

Jack looked surprised at this. "You need my help? With what?"

The Doctor nudged Amy who looked bewildered for a moment before saying, "Oh! Right, I need to find my husband. We were wondering if you could help us find him."

Jack took a slow swig of his coffee and contemplated the idea. Finally he said, "Is he hot?"

Amy said, "Yes!" While the Doctor snorted and said, "No!"

Amy glared at him before pinching his arm hard. The Doctor yelped. "Oi! No one talks about my husband like that!" She turned back to Jack. "Yes, he is. And he's everything to me. Please?"

"Is still don't get why you need my help? Why can't you find him, Doctor?"

"Ah, well, yes. That's the other problem. My TARDIS has been...commandeered, so to speak."

Jack chuckled. "You've lost your girl have you, Doc?"

"Both his girls." Amy interjected before the Doctor could stop her.

Jack looked at the Doctor with glee. "_Both_ of his girls? Who's this girl I haven't heard anything about?"

The Doctor glared at Amy and then Jack, both of them grinning and smug. He huffed. "She's, er, she's another...companion that lives with us."

Amy tutted. "Oh, please. Don't try and tell me you feel the same about losing Rory as you do about Fred. If you do, frankly, I'll be very, very alarmed."

Jack laughed. "Fred, eh? A girl with a boy's name. Of course he likes her! He loves stuff like that."

Amy nodded, laughing too. The Doctor sulked.

"Well, once you've both finished mocking me, can we get to work? Jack, will you help us?"

Jack paused again, thinking. He finally said, "Is she hot?"

The Doctor sighed. "Yes, yes, yes, she's hot! She's hot now will you help us? Please?"

Amy blinked, surprised while Jack's grin got wider. "Of course I will. Anything for you, Doc."

The Doctor and Amy both breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Fantastic, thank you. So can we borrow your vortex manipulator?"

Jack winced. "Ah. Yeah, I thought we'd hit this little problem."

"Oh, what now?" The Doctor said, groaning.

"I don't have it anymore. UNIT sort of...confiscated it. Said I couldn't have that sort of technology for everyday use."

A silence fell over the three of them until the Doctor shrugged and said,

"Well, that settles it, doesn't it?" The other two looked at him questioningly. "We'll just have to break into UNIT."

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><p><em>YAY! Time to break into UNIT! That's always fun surely...?<em>

_It'll be very Rory-centric next chapter. I've already written most of it and I have to say I think it's my favourite so far._

_Anyway, please leave me a review! I'll love you forever!_


	6. Rory's War

**A/N:** This author's note is primarily a whinge! My review count has dropped quite considerably and it's very disheartening! Are you not loving Jack? I hope you're all still enjoying this...Anyway, this chapter's all about Rory and I hope it clears up some of the concerns about the way I'm taking this!

**Also, there is one use of the 'f' word in this chapter (gasp!) Apologies if you're not comfortable with it!**

Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter:

**D0ctor, Simpa007, Shifuni, MayFairy, Rwyf-Yn-y-Blaidd-Drwg** and **Mrs. 11th.** Thanks guys!

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><p><span>Rory's War<span>

_Rory was crouched down so low, he was nearly on all fours; it made it hard to carry a gun. Especially as all the rifles required a two-handed hold. He crept further forward, shadowing his other team members. The Lieutenant glance at him over his shoulder and motioned for him to keep up. Rory hurried towards him as low and as quietly as he could. Just before he reached him, his boot hit something soft and he nearly slipped in a pool of fresh blood. _

_Rory winced. He knew what it was before he even looked down. He just hoped it was one of the enemy troops. He slowly looked down and tasted bile in his mouth. It wasn't an enemy. It was Private Jonah Colten. Rory felt his eyes sting. Was it sadness or anger? Both, he supposed. He looked away and took deep breaths. He mentally chided himself. He had to be thicker skinned than this. The Lieutenant was on his back all the time about it. He glanced back down and stared into the open, unseeing eyes of Jonah. Gently, Rory closed the soldier's eyes, hoping he'd find some peace in death._

"_Williams!" The Lieutenant hissed a few yards in front of him. "Hurry your ass up! I don't want to be leaving my medic behind!"_

_Rory nodded. A medic. He was an army medic. He gazed at Jonah again. He was a medic but he wasn't making any difference was he? This war was so huge, so brutal, could he ever make a difference?_

_Suddenly, his team began shouting in front of him. And then the firing started. And the grenades. _

_Boom, boom, boom._

_This was his first real mission with the team; he wasn't long out of training. They'd taught him how to use a gun and what ones to use when. But nothing could prepare him for this. The noise, the smell, the feeling. The feeling that, any moment, his life could be over. He was watching his team mates shoot and kill the enemy forces but he could still see the corpse of Jonah Colten at his feet out of the corner of his eye. _

_Anger bubbled inside him. Jonah Colten was a good man. In fact, he had barely been a man. He was seventeen, excited about doing his bit. He had been excited about the idea of helping the people of Acadess and restoring peace to the planet. And they had shot him like a dog. The shooting was getting louder and louder. They had shot him down like he was nothing. Jonah had a family, he had friends, he had people who loved him. And now he was dead._

_Boom, boom, boom._

_Rory saw something move to his left. A large, beast-like enemy soldier was edging around the corner of a crate, his eyes and gun trained on the oblivious Lieutenant. The enemy troop pounced and Rory saw it in slow motion. He had a choice: let the Lieutenant take the hit and possibly die or he could do something. He could intervene._

_The face of the dead Jonah Colten flashed before his eyes and Rory stood and fired twice. The enemy troop crumpled to the ground, lifeless._

_All the shooting stopped and everyone turned to Rory who was stood stock still. He couldn't move. Shock and adrenaline were fighting inside him._

_The Lieutenant grinned and strode over, clapping him on the back. "Nice shot, Williams." He gave Rory a grin, lighting a cigarette. "I'll tell the Commander about that. It'll get you first choice of guns next time."_

_The team all chuckled, reloading and checking their guns before pushing on past the dead enemy troops and out into the red desert. The sunlight blinded him and it felt white hot. It burned like the guilt twisting in his stomach..._

Rory woke, sweating and breathing heavily. He was having this dream nearly every night.

Evidently, the memory of his first kill was something his mind wanted to replay to him for the rest of his life. Like he needed a reminder. He had a heavy feeling of guilt about him most of the time now anyway. He'd killed more since but that first one still haunted him. That and the lifeless face of Jonah of course.

"Come on!" Rory recognised the gruff American voice of his Lieutenant. He banged on the door. "Up, you lot!"

Rory heard a grumbling from his fellow soldiers. He heard one or two of the others get up but the rest stayed in bed, burying themselves under the covers. Rory lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. He felt himself drift off until Lieutenant Napier banged on the door again.

"GET THE FUCK UP!"

Rory jumped and groaned, sliding out of his hard bed and pulling on his clothes. Another day trying to save people already lost to the world. He thought back to the Lieutenant's words.

He didn't want first pick of the weapons. He didn't want to be a good shot. He just wanted to be able to save his friends.

The door slid open and the Lieutenant entered. "I said UP!" He bellowed to the room at large before saying quietly to Rory, "Williams, the Commander wants to see you in the Mess. Something about finding your friends. Says new information might have come forward."

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><p><em>So what do you all think? I really enjoyed writing this one...I know it's quite different to the usual stuff I've written for this series but I hope Rory's actions make more sense now and you're all reassured that I'm not changing his character!<em>

_Anyway, please leave me a review and tell me what you think!_


	7. Greyhound 40

A/N: Hello all! Sorry it's taken me a while to update...I've started back at university this week so everything's chaotic again and I don't have as much time as I would like. Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter:

**Rwyf-Yn-y-Blaidd-Drwg, alyssa love, Shifuni, D0ctor, Simpa007, MayFairy, Mrs 11****th**and **Brownbug.**

I hope you all like the reappearance of an old friend in this chapter...clue's in the title!

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><p><span>Greyhound 40<span>

The darkness was hurting Amy's eyes. The Doctor and Jack were a way up ahead, fiddling with the large security gates of UNIT's base. She had no idea why they'd left her on lookout; her eyesight was surely worse than both of theirs. But the Doctor insisted that breaking and entering was a 'boy's game'. Amy rolled her eyes.

"Amy!" The Doctor stage-whispered. "Amy, come on! We're in!"

With one more glance into the quiet night, Amy hurried up to them. The Doctor was grinning madly, arms flailing with excitement.

"Isn't this fun? Being a bit naughty, doing something we shouldn't! You know, Fred would love this..." He trailed off, his face falling when he remembered why they had to break into UNIT in the first place. Amy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and he did the same to her. There was a moment of meaningful silence before Jack snorted and said,

"You two are so lame. Can we get on with the fun part now?" He bustled past them, creaked open the gate and poked his head inside. The Doctor and Amy grinned at each other and followed.

Inside there were two guards, their guns trained on Jack.

"Ah." The Doctor said, arms up in surrender. "Now, now. No need for that. We come in peace...sort of. Just doing a bit of snooping, really."

"Shut up!" Jack hissed as two more guards arrived, guns alert. The main guard nodded and the other three grabbed a prisoner each. The Doctor protested but to no avail.

"Will you be quiet?" Jack hissed again as the three of them were dragged off inside.

"What's wrong with you all of a sudden?" The Doctor asked a little hoarsely, a guard pulling on his shirt collar. The Doctor glared at him. "And will you watch the bow tie? It's vintage!" The guard paid him no attention.

"I'll tell you what's wrong." Jack said, irritated. "Once all of this is over, you'll jet off again but I'll still be here and I'll be getting it in the neck for breaking in! I could lose my position for this, so _don't_ make it any worse!"

"Will you both be quiet?" Amy bellowed from behind them, scowling as she was man-handled by a guard. "I don't think _either_ of you are helping."

* * *

><p>Sitting on the floor of a concrete cell with a futuristic human and a mad Time Lord wasn't a highlight of Amy's life. Jack was peering out of the bars on the door, trying to charm anyone who was passing into opening it. The Doctor was led flat on his back, muttering about the guards taking away his sonic screwdriver and how one earth they were going to get out. Amy leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes.<p>

If only Rory and Fred were here. She longer to hear Rory make a scathing comment about the Doctor's lack of a plan and she missed Fred's ability to cheer everyone up (particularly the Doctor who rarely seemed miserable when she was around).

"Hey you! Wanna let me out of here so we can have a _real_ talk?" Jack shouted to a solider outside, winking. Evidently, the soldier had no desire to have a 'talk' with Jack. Jack slid down next to Amy. "This is hopeless, Doc. Got any ideas?"

"Several! I have just had a great idea about making a moving cat out of paper but enough of that now! Stop distracting me, Jack! I need to focus!"

The door swung open and a handsome soldier stepped inside, looking awkward rather than fierce. "Here, they said to give you some food."

Amy made to say thank you and Jack was about to launch a charm attack on the poor young man but the Doctor cut across both of them, looking at him in amazement.

"Ross Jenkins!"

The soldier looked at the Doctor, alarmed. "Yes. I am."

"Course you are! I wouldn't have said it if I didn't know! I never forget a face!" The Doctor stood hurriedly and clapped excitedly.

"Excuse me, but have we met before?" Ross Jenkins replied, still clutching the tray of food.

The Doctor's face fell. "No. No, of course we haven't. Not yet."

Ross nodded slowly, unsure of what the Doctor was talking about. He suddenly remembered the tray in his hands. He held it out to the Doctor who took no notice; he was still gazing at Ross with a mixture of joy and sadness on his face. Amy took the food, nodding her thanks.

* * *

><p>Ross had an odd feeling bubbling in his stomach; he felt like he knew that bizarre man. He felt like he'd met him before. But he hadn't. <em>Not yet, <em>the man had said. What did _that_ mean?

He slumped down in his seat in the officer's mess, not paying any attention to his colleagues' chatter around him. He felt restless. Suddenly, his radio crackled.

"Greyhound 40, come in. Greyhound 40! You're needed in the cells! Prisoners loose!"

Ross scrambled to his feet, unexplained anticipation coursing through him.

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><p>"You see! I told you I could get us out!" The Doctor bellowed to Amy and Jack over his shoulder as they sprinted down the UNIT corridors, two groups of soldiers on their tails.<p>

"Yeah, but when you said 'get us out' I didn't think you meant setting off all the alarms on the way out!" Amy growled.

"We need somewhere to hide!"

The Doctor swerved into an empty store room and the three of the closed the door, hearing the soldiers run past them. They leaned against the door, getting their breath back.

"You know," Jack began with a dazzling grin. "I'm never usually one to run away from handsome men in uniform."

The Doctor spluttered and Amy gave a chuckle. When the noise outside faded away, the Doctor clambered to his feet.

"Right. Come on! We need to get going. They're bound to have heat seeking in here and when they crack that out is only a matter of time before they find us. So we'd better keep on the move! Now, if you had a load of confiscated items, where would you keep them? Easy! At the centre surrounded by locks and doors and vaults and...some other stuff that's incredibly hard to get into! And on that note...let's go!"

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><p>His Lieutenant had given Ross a heat seeking ray and sent him off down corridors, telling him to scan every room he could come across. Usually, Ross put everything into his work but he was just strolling past the rooms half heartedly, idly pressing buttons. Something didn't feel right about hunting down these three strangers.<p>

Just as he was about to turn back to the Mess, the heat seeking ray beeped and he heard voices whispering along the next corridor.

"Who's there? I can hear you!" Ross called, peering around the corner to see three figures.

"Oh, Ross! It's just you, thank goodness!" The Doctor beamed, puffing the hair out of his eyes. "Thought we were in trouble for a minute."

"You _are_ in trouble. There are soldiers everywhere looking for you."

"Oh, come, come, Ross, let's not be silly. You don't want to give us up, do you?" The Doctor wheedled.

Ross faltered and decided to change the subject. "How did you escape?"

"Oh, simple really. There was an exposed wire from the light in the cell. Managed to reprogram its function and crack open the door. Child's play."

Ross opened his mouth and closed it again, finding words had escaped him.

"Oh, I'm the Doctor by the way! Forgot to introduce myself. Not surprising when I already know all about you. Oooh, that sounds a bit weird doesn't it? A bit stalker-ish. I'm not I promise." Amy elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow! Sorry. I'm rambling, aren't I? Didn't mean to. Just get a bit excited when I meet an old friend again."

"You didn't get this excited when you met me again." Jack interrupted.

"No, well. I know what you're like. You interpret friendly excitement as...something else."

Amy tutted just as the distant sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor. "I really don't think now is the time for this!"

"Alright, alright. Ross listen to me. Give us the pass key to this door and I _promise_ you won't regret it. _Please_."

Ross hesitated and the footsteps grew louder. He found himself torn. He knew he should do his job and hand over the three strangers but something was stopping him. What? Why shouldn't he give them up? He knew nothing about them; only that they had tried to break into UNIT. So surely they were his enemy...right?

"Ross, I want you to know that I will be sorry. So, so sorry for the events of that day when we meet. I mean that." The Doctor's eyes sparkled with sadness.

"What do you mean? I don't understand. How do you know the future?"

"You'll never know if you don't let us through this door. UNIT will take me prisoner and that day will never happen. By coming here and seeing you, I changed history. Now only you can put this right."

The footsteps were so close now. They echoed in Ross' head before suddenly, he lunged forward. For one horrible moment, the Doctor thought he was trying to grab him but Ross rushed past him and entered the code 266178 into the keypad. The door slid open.

The Doctor smiled. "Thank you, Ross."

Ross nodded before he raised his gun to his face and hit himself twice. Amy gasped and Jack made to stop him. The Doctor looked at him questioningly.

"You hit me and ran away. Didn't you?"

"Yes. Yes, we did. Thank you...again."

"Now go!" Ross commanded. "Quickly!"

Amy and Jack hurried through the door, the Doctor just behind them.

"I'll be seeing you in a year!" The Doctor cried as he disappeared through the door and out of sight.

Ross stared at the closed door blankly. Something in him had changed.

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><p><em>I hope you all liked Ross' starring role in this chapter. It's all down to the wonderful D0ctor! I think Ross may appear in later instalments in the series...<em>

_Anyway, please leave a review! Thanks! _


	8. A Dangerous Landing

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a while but I've not long started back at uni and everything's a bit manic! I hope you enjoy this chapter...a reunion is imminent I promise!

As always, thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter:

**Shifuni, Brownbug, Mrs 11th, alyssa love, padmay97, D0ctor** and a special thanks to **MayFairy** for reviewing my HP one shot _'One Room'_ about the afterlife of Sirius Black. Go check it out too!

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><p><span>A Dangerous Landing<span>

"They're going to murder me_._" Jack muttered, trying to revive himself with coffee.

"It's a good job you can't die then, isn't it?" The Doctor said, fiddling with two wires at the back of Torchwood's main system.

They'd managed to escape the claws of UNIT with their lives and – after a fashion – Jack's vortex manipulator. Jack had initially laughed and clutched it with joy until he realised that he could be sacked for this and his job was everything he had. The Doctor and Amy didn't seem too concerned though, they were much more preoccupied with customising Torchwood's computers to make a scanner.

Jack sighed. He may as well help. It seemed he wasn't going to get any sympathy from the Doctor.

Amy wandered past with a bundle of wires and rolled her eyes. "Oh, man up Jack."

Or Amy. Jack heaved himself out of his chair and knelt down next to the Doctor. "Right. What are we doing?"

The Doctor's head emerged from beneath the table, his hair wild. "Making a scanner!"

Jack frowned. "We already have a scanner. We can track most people on the planet."

The Doctor snorted. "What use is that? Fred and Rory aren't here. We need to maximise its range." He stuck his head back under the table and bellowed, "Scanner plus one!"

"Basically," Amy knelt down next to them. "We're pimping your scanner."

Jack grinned. "Alright then. What can I do?"

"Nothing!" The Doctor appeared again, flushed with success. "It's done."

He stood up and beamed at his handy work. Where the normal, neat computer usually sat, there were lights, buttons, screens and wires everywhere. It was almost unrecognisable.

"Tah dah!" The Doctor exclaimed proudly.

"Ok." Amy squinted at it. "How does it work?"

The Doctor flicked to on switch and the whole thing lit up. "Well, dear Pond, I shall tell you. We enter the planet we want to scan – Acadess – and then we enter which year we want to scan in and _then_ we enter the DNA of the people we want to scan for! Simple!"

Amy made a face and glanced at Jack who raised his eyebrows. "Er, Doctor. I have two issues. One: how do we know what year to scan in? And two: we don't have the DNA of either of them."

"Ah yes. One of those is easy to solve." He pulled out the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and flicked it open. "The sonic has DNA records of everyone who has touched and they both have." He pointed it at the scanner and it glowed green for a moment before the screen beeped. Two profiles appeared on the screen, one of Rory and one of Fred, detailing their ages, birthplaces DNA structure and so many other things Amy didn't even understand. "DNA's easy! The year, however, is much more difficult."

The Doctor slumped in his seat and sighed, thinking.

"So...what? We're going to have to scan every year the planet has existed?" Jack asked, folding his arms.

"No, that'd take us too long. We need to think. There's always a logic to these things." The Doctor thought a moment longer before entering 0000.001 into the scanner. It whirred and the three of them watched the screen, hoping for a beep of recognition. The only beep they heard was when the scan finished. There were no positive results. The Doctor tried the same thing again with the year 9094.362. The scanner began whirred again and again there were no positive results. The Doctor slumped in his chair again.

"The first year and the last of year of Acadess' existence. Good places to start. Nothing." The Doctor growled in annoyance.

"So we need to think of something relevant to us?" Amy asked, trying to help in any way she could. Rory had only disappeared yesterday but Amy was aching to see him. She never thought she could miss someone so much. She glanced at the Doctor and wondered if it was the same for him and Fred. Looking at the hollow expression on his usually cheery face, it was. Amy thought as hard as she could. She thought back to when the Doctor had first taken them to Acadess. Suddenly, an idea struck her.

"Doctor, what was the year you told us? You said there was a year when the human race first landed in Acadess."

The Doctor stood up suddenly, his eyes wide and a grin on his face. "Pond, you beauty!"

"Is it right?"

"Not sure yet but it sounds good." He tapped at the scanner's buttons. "Let's find out."

A message popped up on the screen,

_Scanning: Year 6386.001. _

_Searching for: Rory Williams and Winifred Knight._

For a few agonising moments, the below message read

_Results: 0_

Amy whimpered and Jack sighed as the Doctor huffed, hope lost. Until there was a sudden beep. They all sat up again, peering at the screen.

_Results: 1_

_Rory Williams: located._

Amy cried out with relief. There was another beep.

_Results: 2_

_Winifred Knight: located._

"Ah ha!" The Doctor threw his arms in the air and he and Amy hugged as Jack watched them, laughing. They stood and the Doctor strapped Jack's vortex manipulator to his wrist, beaming with excitement.

Jack leaned on the rail as the Doctor led Amy into the centre of the room. She placed her hand on his wrist and nodded.

"Jack." The Doctor called, smiling. "We'll be returning this to you soon."

Jack nodded. "Make sure you do!" He was sorry to see them go but he had always known it was coming. At least he was guaranteed a return visit.

"Ready Pond?"

Amy nodded, nervous and excited.

The Doctor grinned. "Geronimo!"

He pressed the buttons, there was a crack and they were gone.

* * *

><p>Amy felt like she was rushing through a waterfall but she wasn't getting wet. There was an incredible amount of pressure on her shoulders and she gasped for breath. Time and space rushed past them like shooting stars. She could hear the Doctor whooping and cheering and laughed herself.<p>

The ground caught up with them quickly and they fell in a heap onto hot, red dust. They both spluttered and coughed, feeling disorientated from their journey. When she came to, Amy looked at their surroundings and gasped. In front of them, the red dust fell away into a shimmering pool of stunning deep blue water, surrounded by trees and flowers.

"It's beautiful!" She exclaimed. The Doctor nodded mutely in agreement. As they gazed at the pool, Amy couldn't help but feel a little but jealous. How come she and the Doctor got stuck on Earth while Fred and Rory got to come here to this beautiful tranquil planet?

The Doctor broke through Amy's thoughts by scanning the area with his sonic. He frowned at the results. He turned and faced the steep incline behind them.

"The sonic is showing signs of life up this hill."

They set off, Amy slipping in the smooth dust occasionally. Just when they were about to reach the top, the Doctor was distracted by a small piece of metal sticking out of the dust. He knelt down and pulled it out, peering at it as Amy carried on walking.

"Now what's this?" The Doctor muttered. "A broken vortex manipulator by the look of it. Odd."

Amy ignored him as she reached the summit of the hill. She froze when she saw what was the other side.

"Doctor!" She called weakly.

"Why would there be a vortex manipulator here? The Acadessi have no need for this sort of technology."

"Doctor!"

"Unless the humans brought it with them. But why? This isn't even their technology!"

"Doctor!"

"Oh, what?" He charged up the hill to join Amy. "Honestly, Pond, what's so..." He trailed off as he saw what Amy had been so shocked by.

From their vantage point on the hill, they could see for miles. In front of them was an abandoned battlefield. Transport ships were in pieces and there were several outbreaks of fire. Empty guns and broken vehicles littered the place and in the distance, a shining silver building stood high into the sky.

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "So this is it. They've changed history. They've started a war."

Before Amy could respond, there was a crackle of a radio from behind them and, just before they could fully turn around, they were pushed onto their knees. Three soldiers stood in front of them and the Doctor and Amy couldn't see their faces as they were wearing helmets. They didn't know if they were friend or foe.

One soldier stepped in front of the others and demanded in a gruff American accent: "State your name and purpose."

The demand was met with shocked silence.

"I repeat: state your name and purpose."

The Doctor and Amy had no response. The soldier raised a large gun and pointed it at them.

State your name and purpose or we will have no option but to assume you are a threat and eradicate you."

"Excuse me but would you mind lowering your gun? I'm not a big fan." The Doctor said, anger bubbling below the surface.

The soldiers seemed to bristle and Amy tried to rescue the situation.

"He's the Doctor and I'm Amy Pond. We don't really have a purpose; we just want to find our friends. We were separated two days ago and we think they landed here."

The lead soldier lowered his gun and removed his helmet to reveal a shaven head and scarred face. He tapped the comms device on his wrist. "Force 6 this is Elite 2 Patrol, do you copy?"

"_We copy Elite 2."_ A voice said down the line.

"Do you read our location?"

"_We do. What is the request?"_

He studied both Amy and the Doctor before replying.

"I need the Elite 2 medic. Can you send him to our location?"

There was a pause at the end before the voice came back. "_Confirmed. Private Rory Williams is on his way."_

* * *

><p><em>So they're all on the same planet! At last!<em>

_Thanks for reviewing and please leave a review!_


	9. Base: Force 6

A/N: Hey guys! I'm back! It feels like it's been ages but, as you can see, this chapter's much bigger than the ones I usually write and you _**finally**_ find out who the Commander is!

Also, I've updated _'Four Minds'_ too...please leave a review for that; I'm really proud of the latest one-shot _('By Candlelight')_ but it's only received four reviews which is below what I usually have. Please go and check it out, it's got plenty of Fred/Doctor fluff, a cheeky hint of Amy/Rory and ALL eleven doctors in it! What more could you ask for?

Anyway, moving on from the desperate plea, thanks to all of you fabulous folks who reviewed the last chapter:

**Simpa007, MayFairy, Shifuni, alyssa love, padmay97, Mrs 11****th **and** Brownbug!**

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><p><span>Base: Force 6<span>

Rory felt something hit him with such force he nearly fell over backwards. He glanced down at the flaming red hair and kissed the top of his wife's head. It had been so long. Well, alright, not as long as it had been before (not nearly as long) but it was still too long to be without her. Amy pulled away from him and said,

"Thank god you're alright!"

Rory could hear the relief in her voice and he smiled. The Doctor nudged Amy out of the way and cried, "Roranicus! Good to see you!" He held out his arms for a hug but Rory tried to make it into a handshake...without success. The Doctor pulled him into an embrace and gave him a manly slap on the back. When they parted, the Doctor looked at him for a moment as though he was expecting something from Rory.

Someone cleared their throat behind them; Rory had temporarily forgotten that the other soldiers were there. Lieutenant Napier nodded towards them and began leading the way down the hill and across the battlefield. "This reunion is lovely, Williams but we need to get back. It'll be dark soon and we can't have civilians out at night."

The other two soldiers followed and Rory nodded. "Err, this way." The Doctor gave him the same look again and Rory blinked. He had no idea what the Doctor wanted from him. Amy grinned and linked arms with her husband as they walked, the Doctor trailing behind them, seemingly disappointed. Rory ignored him.

"So," Amy began. "Look at you! A soldier!"

"Well...I'm not really a soldier. I'm an army medic." Rory corrected, tracing his colleagues' footsteps through the dust as they approached the battlefield.

"Well, whatever. How did you manage that in two days?"

Rory made a face. "What? What do you mean two days?"

Amy halted in her tracks and the Doctor almost fell into them. "Two days, Rory. It's been two days since we all were separated."

"No, it hasn't."

"Yes, it has, Rory." The Doctor intervened, a concerned frown on his face.

"_No, it hasn't._" Rory pulled up his sleeve to reveal a large, pinkish scar on his left forearm. "I couldn't have got that and have it heal in two days."

"I don't understand." Amy said, baffled.

"Amy, I've been here for a year. I've been waiting for you for a year. I've been in this war for a _year._"

Amy whimpered in shock and horror. "Doctor? What...? Help!"

"Between this planet and the TARDIS, there must have been a shift in time. It's very common but usually..." He trailed off, pulling out the sonic and scanning the sky. "...it's only a few minutes. What Rory has experience is a lot more unusual." He read the sonic's readings and sighed. "The time difference is a lot greater." He glanced at the readings again and frowned. "And the difference is changing constantly. The time here is very unstable."

Rory shrugged. There was nothing they could have done after all. In their time, they had managed to solve their problem in two days. Lucky them.

"Hurry up! The sun's gone down!" Napier called from in front of them. He then instructed his two soldiers to go to the back of the group to usher them along. They passed the battlefield and, out of the corner of his eye, Rory saw the Doctor tense. He watched the Time Lord's eyes take in the destroyed ships, the broken weapons and the fires that had sprung up from damaged engines and intense heat.

"There aren't any people there. No bodies from the battle." Amy remarked, unable to pull her eyes away from the sight.

"Of course not." Napier growled. "We respect our dead. They're buried where nothing can get to them. We make sure they find peace when life gave them none."

Just as Napier fell silent, the sun slid down over the horizon and the world became dark alarmingly quickly. Napier pulled his gun from the holder on his back and the two soldiers at the back did the same. After a beat, Rory pulled a small gun from the holder on his hip. Amy looked shocked and the Doctor's shoulders slumped in disappointment but Rory couldn't think of it now.

Right now, they were in danger and all he cared about was protecting the people he loved. By whatever means necessary.

* * *

><p>"Base, this is Elite 2. Open the doors for us." Napier ordered into his radio when they finally reached the huge silver doors of the base.<p>

"Hold Elite 2."

"Dammit Base, we don't have time to hold! Get us in!"

Amy was confused. She had no idea why everyone was in such a rush to get inside. So what if it was dark? They were at the base weren't they? Surely everything was fine here...but when she looked at her husband, she saw he was on edge and his hand was hovering about her waist as though he was ready to push her behind him if something was to happen.

* * *

><p>The Doctor was pacing, anxious. Where was Fred? He hadn't asked anyone aloud, but he thought Rory may have told him where she was and if she was safe but he hadn't even mentioned her. All he'd done is talked about his Commander and the other soldier in his team that they hadn't met yet. None of this made sense. Usually the Doctor thrived on situations that defied reality but this was troubling him, as war always did. This war, the Parters, the broken vortex manipulator...right now, none of this fitted together. It felt like he was holding pieces from different jigsaws.<p>

"Base! Lets us in!" Napier was insistent now and the Doctor noticed that the two soldiers were walking in slow circles around them, facing the ominous dark with their guns in their hands. It looked like they were waiting for something.

Suddenly, there was a hair-raising screech and all of the soldiers tensed, including Rory who raised his handgun and put his arm around Amy.

"Base! We need entry: NOW!"

"Elite you will have to hold."

"We can't hold! We have civilians out here and the Malums are on their way! GET US IN!"

There was another screech only much closer this time. Amy trembled with fear and saw her breath fog in front of her; the darkness had shrouded them like a heavy blanket and the cold had crept across the sand.

"Elite, Base is detecting oncoming Malums and we cannot open the doors."

"That's bullshit!" Napier cursed, pushing his helmet back on roughly but leaving the visor open and checking his gun was loaded.

"We cannot risk invasion of the Base, Elite. You know that."

"So what are we meant to do? We can handle the Malums but we can't protect civilians as well!" Napier glared at Amy and the Doctor, evidently uncomfortable with the idea of being responsible for their safety.

"Just hold out, Elite. Right now, there's nothing else we can do. Help is en route. Base out."

The radio crackled to silence and Napier cursed again, slamming down the visor of his helmet. "Right, you heard Base. Williams, get your friends in the middle and we'll form a ring around them. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears keen. Guns primed."

They all moved at Napier's command, knowing not to question him. The Doctor tried to protest but Rory glared at him.

"No, Doctor. No stunts, this is war and these are Malums. They're beasts."

There was another screech and this time Amy could see where it was coming from. She immediately wished she couldn't. A creature was running towards them on its hind legs (it looked like it should walk on four legs), a glinting blade in its left hand. It screeched again and Rory, Napier and his soldiers all raised their weapons. One of the soldiers fired at it, the others holding their ground and waiting for their own chance to defend themselves. The thing took four bullets before giving one last ear-splitting screech and falling in a pool of its own dark blood.

And then everything fell silent. Amy breathed a sigh of relief and turned to smile at the Doctor but he paid her no attention. He was still staring at the corpse of the fallen attacker with blank eyes. Then Amy realised that nobody around her had relaxed.

"What's going on?" She asked. Were they seeing something she couldn't?

"Shhh!" Rory chastised, not taking his eyes off the thick black surrounding them.

Thankfully, one of the soldiers, a woman judging by her voice, gave Amy an answer. "They never attack one at a time. There's more out there. Just try to stay still Mrs Williams."

Amy nodded and, for once, the Doctor did as he was told too. He didn't feel like he could interfere yet; he had no idea what was going on. While he loathed to see _anything_ being killed, he didn't have a full understanding of the situation. And he hated it. He felt Amy link her arm through his and he was immediately glad to have her there to calm him.

Another screech broke the silence. Then another, and another, and another, and another...Amy lost count. They were surrounded by the Malums – whatever they were – and they were quite drastically outnumbered. Finally, the Malums launched their attack at full strength.

Napier, Rory, the female soldier and the male soldier were all shooting for their lives. The problem was that each Malum took at least three shots to die. They didn't have enough gun power to kill them all before they reached their circle of protection.

Amy had never heard a noise like it. She'd seen so many images of war, both back on Earth and across the universe but she had never been in the middle of one, not like this. She never thought it would smell like this, so metallic and cold. The Malums were dying closer and closer to them; each time one attacked, it would get a little nearer.

The male soldier quickly reloaded his gun and bellowed, "Where's that back-up?"

"En route apparently!" Napier shouted back as he managed to slay two Malums, one with three bullets and the other with four colossal blows to the head.

The fight continued and Amy watched like she was in a trance. It didn't feel like she was here, she didn't _want_ to be here. All the gunshots and the blood and the fire...it was horrible and, judging by the look on the Doctor's face, he was thinking the same thing. Thankfully, the Malums were too distracted by their desire to kill the soldiers to really consider going for them. At least, that was what Amy thought until a Malum broke through on the male soldier's side and reached for Amy and the Doctor, hissing and bearing its mammoth teeth. Like a flash, Rory pushed it back and shot it twice before Napier delivered a killer hit to its torso.

"Sir, we can't hold them much longer! There's too many!" The female soldier said as two Malums charged at her.

"Did somebody request help?" A male voice said over the radio. The man sounded like he was grinning.

"Deimos? That you?" Napier grunted.

"Sure is! Don't worry, the Commander and I've got this!"

Before anyone could ask what he meant, a small vessel flew over head, circling the area of the battle. Deimos came over the radio again,

"Commander says get back against the Base doors. We'll finish 'em off!" The man sounded like he was delighted by the prospect of killing the Malums.

"Do as he says!" Napier ordered, still firing at the approaching Malums. "Williams, Phin: protect the civilians and get the right against the doors. Rudi: we'll follow and hold these bastards off."

They all moved according to his orders once more, the Doctor stumbling as his eyes following the vessel above that continued to circle. As their backs hit the cold steel doors of the base, Napier said, "Civilians are against the Base. Commander is clear to fire."

Streaks of violet plasma bust from the vessel, sending the Malums hurtling back. It only took a few seconds to eradicate the threat. Most were killed in the blasts but the few that remained scurried away as fast as they could, knowing they had lost this time.

Napier breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks God for that. Good job, team."

The vessel circled one more time, hovering over the base for a moment before a large part of the base's roof tilted open and the vessel lowered itself inside.

"Base to Elite," The radio crackled to life once more. "We are now opening the doors."

"Oh, now you can open them?" Napier growled, his voice even gruffer than usual. He led the way inside, closely followed by the two other soldiers. Rory puffed out his cheeks and guided his friends inside.

"We'll be safe in here." He reassured them, attempting to smile at them but they both just glared at him, the Doctor preoccupied with the slaughter of the Malums and Amy still shaken from the fight.

However, both of their minds went blank when they got inside. The base was like an aircraft hanger but there were screens all over the walls, presumably some surveillance of the surrounding areas. There were people everywhere: most of them looked like they were in the Army for they had the camouflage uniforms on. On a platform two levels up at the far end of the room was a man leaning heavily on the railing while he watched them come inside. He wore a grand uniform that depicted his rank to be above all of the others there.

Rory smiled at their stunned faces. "Welcome to Force 6. Our base."

"Wow." Amy said, feeling like it was an incredible underestimation.

"How very, very interesting!" The Doctor said, temporarily infatuated with the place and its technology. He fiddled with screens as they followed Napier and his team up a set of steps and past the landed vessel which two soldiers in uniforms and helmets like the others (one presumably Deimos and the other the Commander) were untying themselves from, to the first level where they stood and waited as the man of high rank descended the steps from his previous position to greet them. He shook hands with Napier who didn't smile, as it seemed that wasn't something that naturally came to him, but he seemed to have a great amount of respect for the man.

"Good job, Napier. That was a difficult situation."

"Thank you, sir."

"You too Seraphina; Rudi. Job well done."

Without waiting for a response, the man moved onto Rory and his guests. He looked at Amy first and smiled, his dark eyes crinkling. "This is your wife, Williams?"

"Yes, sir." Rory responded, puffing his chest out with pride.

The man extended his dark hand to Amy and she shook it with her pale one. "Good to meet you Mrs. Williams...Amy, isn't it? I remember Williams talking about you." Amy smiled and nodded. "I'm General Garnett and you..." Garnett's eyes settled on the Doctor. "Must be the Time Lord. We have been waiting for you."

The Doctor made a face. "Oh dear. That's always dangerous. I'm always afraid I'll disappoint."

General Garnett laughed heartily and shook his hand. "Oh, I doubt that. Fate has foretold you will be this planet's saviour."

The Doctor beamed. "Has it really? What fun! I do love saving!"

Garnett laughed again and turned back to Rory. "You're right, Williams. He is a nutcase! But a charming one." He slapped the Doctor on the shoulder with a smile before looking over his shoulder. "Ah, Deimos! Good to see you back at base!"

Deimos removed his helmet to reveal a roughly put together face but an oddly attractive one: tanned skin, a strong, stubbly jaw, a short Mohawk and a wide smirk. "Thank you, sir. It's good to be back."

Deimos and Rory grasped each other's hands, as if they were good friends as he passed to do the same to the others, except Napier. Deimos didn't try to shake his hand and Napier made no attempt to welcome him but neither of them seemed bothered by the situation. Once they were all gathered on the same level, they stood in a line and watched the last figure climb out of the vessel.

"Commander." Garnett greeted and they shook hands.

The figure was shorter than the others but still carried gun as large as Napier's and wore the same uniform expect this one had stripes of silver on it. The two began to talk so quietly the others couldn't hear. Amy took the opportunity to place her hand in her husband's and ask,

"What are we waiting for?"

"We have to wait for our head officer to let us go." Rory stage whispered.

"I thought that Lieutenant Napier was the one in charge of your team?"

Rory shook his head. "No, the Commander is. Normally Lieutenants are in charge of units but we're an Elite team."

"Oh." Amy paused and took a glance at the Doctor who looked distracted, like he had done earlier when they were reunited with Rory. Unlike Rory, she wasn't blind to why he was acting so edgy. "Rory, where's Fred?"

"Oh, she's here!" Rory said with a grin. "She's fine. We're on the same team actually. She's the one that made sure I was on the Elite team and not just shoved anywhere."

"She's on your team?" Amy repeated, as she and the Doctor peered over Rory's shoulder at the team assembled there. Was the female officer Fred? No, the Doctor spotted the female officer and saw that she had taken her helmet off to reveal short, mousy hair and sharp features. Not Fred. Amy frowned, confused. "I thought that this was all your team...?"

"Oh, yeah it is." Rory bit back a grin, like he was privy to an in joke they knew nothing about. "We're all here."

"Then where – " Amy was cut off as General Garnett called,

"Williams! Before you go to rest with the others, I need you to look over Deimos and Commander Knight, check there's nothing too serious wrong with them."

It took a moment for it to sink in. Surely not? Surely that wasn't possible...? The Commander began walking up the steps towards them, removing the sleek helmet. With one smooth movement it came off to reveal green eyes and wild brown hair. Fred grinned at them.

"Hello, Amy...Doctor. You took your bloody time."

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><p><em>Eeeee! Fred's back and she's the Commander! I hope that's exciting! They'll be more explaination about the war and the broken vortex manipulator in the next chapter I promise.<em>

_Please leave a review...I'll give you all a jelly baby!_


	10. 2 & 2: Winifred Knight

A/N: Hey all! Sorry it's been a while! So this chapter consists mostly of flashbacks from Fred's time which we didn't see when she first arrived. I hope you all enjoy them! And thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter:

**alyssa love, padmay97, Rwy'n -Y-Blaidd-Drwg, MayFairy, Shifuni, Keely Matthews, Mrs 11th, Simpa007, Brownbug** and **it's a story. **You guys are ace!

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><p><span>2 &amp; 2: Winifred Knight<span>

General Garnett rode the lift with Napier and the other soldiers, eager for information about their missions. The Doctor watched the doors close before rounding on Fred, who was busy attaching the large gun to her back.

"What are you doing?"

She looked at him bewildered as Rory and Amy looked on cautiously.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean!" The Doctor growled, pacing towards her. "How can you be a part of this? All of the murder!"

Far from making her backing down, the Doctor's words only riled her. "How? I've been here for sixteen months! What did you expect me to do?"

This made the Doctor hesitated but not for long. "Why couldn't you have joined the Acadessi...helped them find safety?"

Fred gave him an odd look. "They're not here! No one's here! It's just us and the Malum forces. So I didn't really have a choice did I?"

"They're not here? The Acadessi aren't on their own planet? Why?"

Fred huffed. "It's complicated. General Garnett will explain it all to you when you see him so can you just get off my back? Anyway, Rory's in the war too!"

"But he's a medic! He's trying to help people instead of – of _slaughtering _them!"

"ENOUGH!" Fred yelled suddenly, making them all jump. "We just saved your life. So maybe you could show some gratitude rather than putting us down!"

With that she made to storm into the lift that had arrived back on the platform but Amy grabbed her arm, halting her.

"Fred, stop. Listen...he doesn't mean it. He's just shocked. We both are." Amy released her arm and looked at her pleadingly. "You said you've been here for sixteen months?"

Fred glanced at the Doctor who wasn't looking at any of them but he was obviously listening. She nodded slowly. "Yes. I was here before Rory...because of the minute between our disappearances from the TARDIS I presume."

"And what happened?"

* * *

><p><em>Fred kissed red dust and spluttered. She struggled to her feet, coughing and assessing her surroundings. A large silver building glinted in the distance and she began to make her way to it, unable to think of anything else to do. The walk was longer than she thought but she didn't mind; all the dust reminded her of her first adventure with the Doctor when they travelled to Parum Terra where everything was mismatched. Panic began to bubble in her stomach; the Doctor wasn't here. Nor was anyone else. Not even a stranger. She couldn't see anyone. <em>

_She had almost made it to the huge silver doors before a group of soldiers pounced on her, dressed in sleek helmets and dark purple suits. They seized her without comment and she squealed as they picked her up and covered her eyes. She blindly struggled against their vice-like grips until they finally set her down and pulled off the blindfold. She winced as her eyes adjusted to the harsh artificial light. She scowled at the soldiers who were all stood around her as she perched on a cold, steel chair._

_She fixed them all with a falsely sweet smile. "Sorry, boys. Is there a problem?"_

_The soldier stood directly in front of her removed his helmet and gave her a smirk showing all his teeth. "Take your helmets off boys and untie her. She's a tiny, weak woman. She's not going to hurt us. She couldn't if she tried."_

_Fred gritted her teeth. As soon as they untied her, she decided to majorly kicked off. She may be tired and shaken from the day's bizarre events but she was certainly not __**weak**__. And she would prove it. She screamed and punched and kicked and clawed at everyone she could find. She knew wasn't doing much damage to them, some of the soldiers cried out in pain but it was only bruises and scratches. The fray continued until two of the soldiers managed to grab her beneath her arms and lift her again. She still didn't give up, deciding to kick everything she could find. Suddenly, she felt her foot slam into something solid and there was a cry of pain which wasn't hers._

_The man who had called her weak was clutching his nose, his eyes screwed up in pain. Fred's feet touched the floor again at last and she watched one of the other soldiers rush over to the man saying,_

"_Commander? Are you alright, sir?"_

_The Commander gave a growl and removed his hand from his nose to reveal blood streaming over his lips and chin. He pointed at Fred and bellowed, "Get that bitch out of here!"_

* * *

><p><em>Lieutenant Napier lit a cigarette and puffed out the smoke, fixing Fred with an expression of thinly concealed amusement.<em>

"_General Garnett tells me you broke Commander Shaw's nose."_

"_Apparently." Fred shrugged, unsure if she was in trouble or not. She was tired and she wanted to go home. Home to the TARDIS and the Doctor where everything was warm and comfortable. Not like this cold, high tech base._

_Napier let out a gruff laugh and turned to the man who had just entered the room, silver stripes decorating his blue uniform. "Hear this Commander? Says she broke Shaw's nose."_

_The Commander chuckled and removed his helmet, ruffling his dark hair. "This the girl Garnett sent down?"_

_Napier nodded. "Yep. Looks like she's got spunk. And we need a new member."_

_The Commander studied her, his mind whirring. Eventually, he said. "What's your name?"_

"_Winifred Knight."_

"_Can you use a gun, Knight?"_

"_A little. And I'm a quick learner."_

_The Commander shared a look with Napier who grinned through his cigarette. "Alright. Knight, I'm Commander Bruton and I'm recruiting you to our Elite 2 team as a trial run." He turned to leave but Fred called him back._

"_Bruton, why are you recruiting me? You haven't even seen me fight. I haven't even been in training."_

"_It's __**Commander**__ Bruton to you, Knight. And I'm happy to work with anyone who breaks Commander Shaw's nose."_

* * *

><p>"<em>Nice shot, Knight." Bruton acknowledged as the team regrouped after a vicious fire fight with Malum scouts. "You do learn fast."<em>

"_Thank you, sir." Even though no one could see it, underneath her helmet Fred was glowing with pleasure. She'd only been working with them a few weeks and it already suited her. She knew that once –no, if – the Doctor found her he'd be angry but she was beginning to not care. This was fun._

_Napier clapped her on the back as he jogged past to join Commander Bruton._

_Fred reloaded her gun and waited for instruction._

* * *

><p><em>Fred had never liked sharing rooms but she was enjoying bunking with the others. She sat on her bunk and studied her team mates.<em>

_Rudi was the quiet one but once Fred had managed to talk to him, she found he was very knowledgeable not only about Acadess but about a whole range of planets and races. Occasionally, when they had a night's rest, she would ask him to tell her about a planet he'd been to and about what he'd seen. It made her feel relaxed; she supposed it was because his stories reminded her of the ones the Doctor used to tell her. Used to. Two months ago. It felt like another life now._

_Seraphina – who insisted on being called Phin instead – was the only other woman on either Elite team (Shaw's Elite team consisted entirely of men) and Fred was greatful for at least an element of female company. Phin was extremely accomplished in the technological side of their work; she could tap into almost any communications system on the planet and fix things that seemed to be irreparable. After a few weeks, Fred noticed how closely Phin and Lieutenant Napier worked together. They seemed to be able to understand each other perfectly, as though they had known each other their whole lives. Fred liked Napier greatly; he first appeared to be incredibly hard and closed but Fred found he talked her easily once they had spent enough time in each other's company. Napier was probably her favourite team mate. She didn't really know why – they never talked about anything personal or shared secrets or recalled the day's events like you would do with close friend but she just knew they were close. She hoped that – however long she stayed here – Napier would always be here with her. He was a good friend and she didn't want to lose that. Besides, he was bloody huge and that's always useful in a fight._

_The other male soldier was Deimos. He wasn't particularly knowledgeable or skilled at anything; he just liked killing stuff. And Fred supposed that was fair enough when they were in a war. In the first few weeks, she'd been on an observation mission with Deimos and he'd taken to her. Quite strongly. Fred found herself caught between feeling horrified and desperately wanting to given in to his advances. She felt so abandoned here and to know that anyone cared for her sent her head spinning._

_She started from her thoughts when Napier charged in and roughly switched off the light in their quarters. "Get some sleep. We're gonna need it in the morning."_

* * *

><p><em>Fred had found the war exciting. She felt like she was in a game, a brilliant game when she couldn't lose. <em>

_That all changed on the fifth day of her third month. _

_She, Napier and Bruton were assigned to flush out a mass of Malums at a former base of the Acadessi. All of the army soldiers that had been assigned with them had been killed except two. They had originally been assigned 150. They were holding the Malums off at an entrance to a part of the base they'd cleared and locked up but the door was jammed and they couldn't get inside. Without Phin there to help them, Bruton had told the two remaining soldiers to try their best at fixing it while he, Fred and Napier tried to hold off the constantly incoming Malums. It felt like the fight went on for hours. Fred had never seen so much blood, so much gore. The Malums were much more varied than she had seen before; there were some heavily armoured ones that held knives, some smaller ones that carried plasma guns and some larger ones with huge guns that shot grenades at them._

_She heard a cry of joy behind her and she realised that the soldiers had managed to get the doors working to ensure their safe return to base._

"_Sir! Doors!"_

_Bruton nodded and the three of them began to walk backwards towards the slowly closing doors, keeping the Malums at bay as they went. Fred reached safety first but still tried to pick off as many as she could from inside. Napier soon joined her. Bruton was the only left outside._

"_Sir! Hurry! The doors!"_

_The doors were nearly shut and she and Napier tried to push them back open a little. Napier bellowed;_

"_You two! Get these fucking doors back open!"_

"_We can't sir! It's jammed!"_

_Bruton began to squeeze through the tiny gap, his armour catching. He was halfway through when Fred saw his eyes go wide and his whole body jump in shock. Napier gave a howl of rage and then Fred saw what had happened. Behind Bruton was a heavily armoured Malum, its knife stuck in Bruton's side. Fred had frozen to the spot but Napier pulled out the pistol from his belt and shot the Malum three times in the head until it fell to the floor._

_Bruton slowly removed his helmet, letting it fall at their feet. The look on his face was heartbreaking. He knew he was about to die and Fred could tell he was almost glad. Almost._

"_Go. I'll hold them off as long as I can."_

"_Sir!" Fred began to protest. Maybe they could still help him._

_He shook his head, the pain evident on his face. "You've been a good soldier, Knight. I'm glad I gave you that trial. But you're gonna have to carry on without me."_

_Bruton began to pull himself out from between the doors and back into the fight outside. Before he disappeared from view he said, "Oh, and Napier!"_

"_Sir?" Napier said, his voice thick with emotion._

"_You're the best Lieutenant I've ever had." Bruton fixed him with a look that still managed to be authoritative despite his agony. "You know what to do when I'm gone."_

"_Yes, sir."_

_With a final heave, Bruton pulled himself out and the doors closed. Fred watched through the small windows as he pulled the knife out of his side with a growl, gave a war cry and charged on the Malums._

_It didn't take long for Commander Bruton to die. But he still managed to take 34 Malums with him._

* * *

><p>"<em>What? That's not possible!" Fred exclaimed, baffled by General Garnett's words. "What about Napier? He's the Lieutenant after all! I can't be Elite 2's Commander!"<em>

_Napier shook his head. Fred had been called for a meeting in Garnett's office which she knew would be about Bruton's death but she didn't know that she'd be named as the new Commander._

"_I agree. You can't be." A voice said from the doorway. Fred bristled. She didn't need to look to know who it was. But she looked anyway and shot Commander Shaw a glare._

"_What are __**you**__ doing here?"_

"_We may be different teams but we're still Elites. I like to know what's going on. Besides, I wanted to see who Bruton's replacement was. He was a good man."_

"_Shame he didn't feel the same about you." Napier muttered, much to Fred's amusement._

"_Knight, we've all discussed this. You've received a recommendation from another officer of high rank and we have to take that into account."_

"_Who?"_

"_That doesn't matter." Garnett dismissed quickly. "And Napier agrees that you're the best choice. Bruton had laid plans for his successor and he chose you. So I suggest you go and brief your team about the Assault."_

"_Commander!"_

_Fred recognised Phin's voice and she opened the door to her quarters immediately. "What is it Phin?"_

"_We found someone wandering in the dust. He looks confused. We think it might be one of your friends. Will you come and identify him? We had to blindfold him to be sure."_

_Fred stomach churned – with what she wasn't sure. She didn't feel ready to leave yet; she'd just got the Commander position and it seemed to come naturally to her. She had made so many friends here, she didn't just want to up and leave. But she so wanted to see her old friends again and to cuddle up to the Doctor like she used to._

_She may miss them, but now she had responsibilities. Now, she had her team to think about. And they had to come before everything else. Even her own life._

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><p>I hope you enjoyed that and please leave a review! We'll be back to the main timeline next chapter where you'll find out more about what the war is all about.<p>

**Also, my sister (whose a massive Whovian and also reads this series) has drawn a super cool picture of Fred and the Doctor! The link's on my profile so go and check it out! She'd love to hear what you think!**


	11. Before Tomorrow

A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry about the long wait, I've been very ill of late and it's distracted me somewhat. Anyway, enough of my whining, thanks to all of the super awesome people who reviewed the last chapter:

**Shifuni, Simpa007, alyssa love, Mrs 11th, padmay97, MayFairy, D0ctor **and **Brownbug.**

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><p><span>Before Tomorrow<span>

The Doctor stalked along the corridor, trying to keep up with Lieutenant Napier's humongous strides. His eyes weren't taking in the high tech screens on the walls or the curious looks from the army soldiers they passed. Instead, his eyes were fixed on Fred's back as she walked a few feet in front of him with General Garnett, exchanging quiet words he couldn't hear. The Doctor knew he'd been hard on her but it was impossible for him to comprehend how she could have joined this war so willingly. Maybe he had missed her or maybe he was just in an odd mood but, as he watched her striding in her tight suit, he had to push back the thoughts of how attractive she looked. To his annoyance, he always seemed to find her more attractive when they argued; like she had become something he knew he shouldn't have but desperately wanted nonetheless.

He shook himself and tried to focus. He couldn't think about their relationship right now; that, as always, was far too complicated. Instead, he forced himself to focus on the matter at hand. General Garnett had mentioned that he was key to ending this war and the Doctor was very eager to help. He would do anything to get this nightmare over with, make up with Fred, find the TARDIS and get on with their lives.

"In here, Doctor." General Garnett guided the Doctor into a soulless room. Inside were two single beds inside, a stack of weapons by the door and a table in the far corner with steel seat tucked underneath. The Doctor had never walked into a room and felt cold like he did in this one. Fred perched on the edge of the table, avoiding his gaze. He moved over to her, and made to sit next to her but she moved quickly, choosing to stand by Napier instead who was busy tapping away on the screen that hung on the wall. The Doctor bristled at her obvious snub and felt like he should challenge her about it but decided not to. He didn't think now was really the time or the place.

"Doctor, I'll be straight with you." General Garnett said after he'd checked the door was sealed behind them so no one else could hear their meeting. "We need you. When we assigned ourselves to this war, the Acadessi told us of the prophecy that had been passed down through their species for generations. It told of Acadess' doom at the hands of an 'unreal enemy'. It seemed like the planet was destined to fall into the hands of the invaders. But, it is said that – as the prophecy was handed down through the generations – hope began to break through the doom. And a Time Lord was added. We need you Doctor. Without you, the Eye will go on unseeing and unchallenged."

* * *

><p>Amy perched nervously on Rory's camp-bed, concerned it might collapse at any moment. Rory however, didn't seem concerned at all and threw himself down next to her as his team mates wandered through the door and into their sleep quarters. The room wasn't glamorous; the beds were rickety and the walls were cold steel and windowless with a large screen on the wall adjacent to Rory's bed displaying the base's current security state and information on the Malums as well as being a communications link to the General's office. Rory shared the room with three of his other team mates: Deimos, Serephina and Rudi, all of whom got on well. Amy glanced around as the three other soldiers all sat on the respective beds and began removing their armoured suits so they were dressed in plain black shorts and vests.<p>

"Where does Fred sleep?" Amy asked, craning her neck to see if there was another room leading off this one.

"Oh, she shares a room with Lieutenant Napier. It's just up the steps from this one." Rory answered, pulling his own armoured suit off and relaxing back on the bed with Amy, beyond happy to be back in her company. "That's probably where the Doctor was taken by General Garnett."

Amy nodded, still dumfounded that all this could have happened in the space of, what was to her, two days.

"What's it been like?" She asked Rory seriously.

His usually cheery face fell slightly. "It's been...amazing. And horrible. And fun and mad and heart-breaking. It's been the best and worst experience of my life. I've made friends and I've seen friends die. And I've killed to stay alive."

Amy found she had nothing to say. She knew there was a new level to Rory and she didn't need to push him for details to know that he had seen so much – and felt so much – grief during his time here. She rubbed his back comfortingly.

"Don't worry. We'll be leaving here soon and you can stop fighting in this war."

Unexpectedly, Rory pulled away, frowning.

"What?"

"I've made friends here and I can't just abandon them. Amy, I'm not leaving."

* * *

><p>"The Eye? What's the Eye?" The Doctor asked after a moment of silence had descended over the four of them. Why was it, when he thought he was going to get an explanation he was just faced with more riddles?<p>

"No one knows for sure." Garnett answered, leaning on one of the beds. "None of us can see it, not truly. To us, it is just light. But to you, it said to be a riddle. A riddle only you can solve."

From the corner, the Doctor heard Fred snort. Garnett looked at her questioningly and she bit her lip, an expression of bitter amusement on her face.

"What?" The Doctor asked a little more aggressively than he intended. She glared.

"It's always _you_ isn't it? It's always _you_ that has to solve it; it's always _you_ that has to save everyone!" Napier placed a large hand on her shoulder and she immediately calmed but still muttered, "Never mind what we've done. Never mind what we've sacrificed."

"Commander." Garnett said, his tone bringing her to a halt immediately. "That's enough of that." He turned back to the Doctor. "So, will you help us?"

The Doctor puffed out his cheeks. He was way out of his depth here; war was not something that he usually involved himself in. He had lasting memories of that last war he had '_won'_ and they weren't happy. Again, he tried to push those thoughts back. His poor mind was getting cluttered. Eventually he said, "Of course I'll help. Anything to stop this."

Garnett clapped his hands. "Brilliant! Thank you Doctor. If the prophecy is correct – and it has been so far – this war will be over soon with your help."

"Hang on, wait!" The Doctor held up his hands. "I have some questions first and I need them answered before we do anything. I can't just...walk into something I know nothing about."

"What questions?" Napier growled, evidently impatient to get on with things.

"For a start, why are the humans fighting this war? Surely this is a war between the Acadessi and the invading Malums. What have you lot got to with it?"

"Humans have a deal with the Acadessi." Garnett began reluctantly; he had apparently wanted to avoid the history lesson. "We take resources from this planet in exchange for protection. They are a peaceful race with no interest in war but unfortunately, it seems war has an interest in them. Or in their planet at least."

"What 'resources'? " The Doctor was baffled. "What resources do humans need from Acadess?"

Garnett looked awkward. ""Well, it's not all of the human race that need these resources. Just a small percentage of us. Time agents, Doctor. I'm sure you've heard of us, we've been around for centuries. Well, our...travel does not come easily and we need certain elements from Acadess to enable us to travel where we need to. Basically, this planet is rich in Seclectic which is – "

"A main component in vortex manipulators." The Doctor finished, wincing slightly. He wasn't the biggest fan of vortex manipulators or the Time Agency for that matter. If he was completely honest, he had an issue with humans being able to travel time and space unsupervised. He grinned slightly, knowing that if he had voiced that thought, Fred would have accused him of being rude and his up the side of the head. The grin faded when he glanced at her and she glared. Apparently there would be no play fights today. It was a shame, he usually enjoyed those; the teasing...the flirting –

_Focus, Doctor, focus._ Yes. The current situation. It made more sense to him now he knew why the war had begun; presumably the Malums had liked the look of this planet and the humans had swooped in to aid them like they promised.

"Are there any Time Agents here?" The Doctor asked, curious.

"I am the Deputy Head of the Time Agency, Doctor." Garnett replied smoothly. "So any issues you have will be dealt by me personally. As for the soldiers, all of the foot soldiers in army uniform are ordinary humans but all of our Elite soldiers are Time Agents."

"Bar one." The Doctor said, chancing another glance at Fred who refused to meet his eye.

"Bar one." Garnett agreed before standing and clapping Fred on the back. "And she's one of our best."

"Thank you, sir." Fred responded tonelessly.

"Commander, Lieutenant, I suggest we return to your team's quarters and discuss the POA. Doctor, please walk with them. I'll be in my office."

The Doctor nodded and tried to get a place beside Fred as they walked but to no avail. She and Napier strode side by side in companionable silence leaving the Doctor trapped behind them. He nearly growled in annoyance. He felt like she was playing with him. She did it often enough, though it was usually in jest. He suddenly felt very tired. He didn't want to be here, he just wanted things to go back to how they were just two days ago to him. He wanted to be stood at the console of the TARDIS, waiting for his three companions to come wandering down the steps, all chattering and eager for adventure. He wanted to see Amy and Rory comfortable and cosy, like he liked them to be. He wanted to feel Fred's arm through his as they explored a planet unknown. He wanted to feel her lean closer to him as they caught a moment alone...he wanted to feel her breath on his face before her lips brushed his and his hands –

"Doctor! Have you heard this?" Amy's shrill voice yanked him cruelly from his imaginings as they entered the Elite 2 team's quarters.

"Er, heard what Amy?"

"He won't leave!" Amy gestured at her Rory who was sitting on his bed, looking anxious. "He's refusing to leave with us until the war's over!" She sat down next to her husband, her anger melting into worry. "Rory, please! I can't lose you...I can't..."

"Amy!" The Doctor halted her. "He's right. There's something we need to sort out here. We can't just go."

A silence fell over the travellers and soldiers alike until Napier said, "You wanted to brief us about the mission, Ma'am."

Fred sprang to life. "Yes, thank you Lieutenant. General Garnett has given us new orders. Due to the Doctor's arrival, we will need to travel to the Eye." She let this sink into her team before pressing on. "Therefore, we're going to need a base as close as we can get to the Eye itself."

"What do you suggest?" Deimos piped up, his gun still in his hand despite being back at base. The Doctor noted that Deimos looked the type that would sleep with his beneath his pillow. "There isn't an Agency base near the Eye."

As the Doctor glanced around at Fred's team, he saw that they were all listening to her with incredible concentration and respect. While all of the team seemed to get on well, there was a clear line between those in power and those not. It was evident from the way Fred talked to them (and the way they talked to her) that she was in charge and that Napier was a close second. Fred spoke answered Deimos but addressed all of them.

"No. There isn't. But there _was_." There was a rumble of caution from the team, as though they all knew that they wouldn't like where this was going. Fred took a deep breath and continued, "The nearest base to the Eye is Arrow's Head." At this, the team all burst into complaint, even Rory.

"The Malums _rule_ that place now!" Rudi exclaimed from beside a protesting Phin.

"Then we'll take it back." Napier barked firmly, his voice giving no room for argument.

"I agree that this is going to be one hell of a challenge, but we can do it. Arrow's Head is ours, it always has been and it always will be."

"It's just a case of flushing out the parasites." Deimos said darkly, stroking his gun with a wild glint in his eyes.

"Exactly." Fred straightened and studied them all, as though checking they were all still behind her. "Get some rest tonight. We travel to Arrow's Head in the morning."

There was a chorus of "Ma'am!" as Fred left, closely followed by Napier and everyone began organising themselves for bed and tomorrow's events.

"I suppose you'd better share with me." Rory said to Amy so shyly it was like he thought they had only just met. "I'm sure they won't mind just for tonight." Amy nodded and glanced at the Doctor who was still staring blankly at the now closed door Fred had exited through.

"Doctor? Are you – "

"Fine, Pond. Just...get some rest." And with that, he stalked out of the room too, leaving Deimos to turn off the lights, sending everyone into darkness.

"Night, night. Don't let the bed bugs bite." He said rather eerily.

Amy snuggled up against Rory before whispering about Deimos, "Are we safe with him?" Amy jumped when she heard a snort from the corner of the room.

"I've been wondering that since I got here." Phin laughed.

"What do you want?" Fred asked harshly. She had her back to the door but she still knew who it was lingering in the doorway.

"I don't like arguing." The Doctor said simply, edging into her quarters and finding both he and Fred were blissfully alone at last.

"Yeah? Well I don't like you treating me like an idiot. Just because I'm not a Time Lord and just because I haven't lived for centuries, it doesn't mean I'm incapable of knowing my own mind." She fiddled with the large gun laid across her bed as he slowly took steps forward, getting closer to her back. Fred realised that, before her sixteen months here, she would have never noticed the Doctor when he walked this quietly; he'd always been able to surprise her. But now, she had been trained to pick up every sound, every breath, every movement in the air. She knew exactly what he was doing. Sure enough, his hand came to rest on her shoulder.

"Fred..."

"Don't." She shrugged him off. "You can't get out of it that easily this time. This isn't just us bickering about which type of tea is better, this is serious. This is you thinking you can just tell me I'm wrong when you know nothing about what I've been through!"

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm not telling you what to do – "

She spun around, her hair wild and her eyes dark. "Yes you are! You _are_ telling me what to do! You _always_ tell me what to do. And I can usually accept it because you know best. Usually you know far more about alien planets but not this time. This time, I _know_ I'm right about this. And you can slate me all you want but I know that fighting in this war is the right thing to do."

A tense silence descended upon them before the Doctor said, "Well, this isn't the reunion I expected."

There was moment when he thought his light-hearted words had been totally the wrong thing to say but thankfully after a moment she couldn't help but grin. "No, it isn't what I imagined either."

Was he mistaken or did he see a familiar glint in her eye? He decided to chance it and push it a little. He gave her a mischievous look from beneath his floppy hair.

"So what _did_ you imagine?"

* * *

><p>Lieutenant Napier couldn't sleep. It wasn't unusual but tonight it troubled him. So he stalked the base, looking for something to take him mind off the mission tomorrow. As he walked by, he knew what the soldiers were thinking. Napier knew what people thought of him: he was a harsh, detached man who loved the kill. Frankly, it couldn't be further from the truth. Napier was <em>tired<em>. He so tired of this war. He was so tired of fighting a force that never seemed to lessen. And Napier was never intentionally detached, he just didn't know how to show how he felt. There were very few people who understand that and knew was lucky to be working with two of them. Commander Knight understood him perfectly and in her he had found a close friend. They cared for each other as friends would and Napier found her refreshing in this bitter war. The other was Phin. But...no, he wouldn't think about Phin now. He wouldn't let himself. He wouldn't give himself more to lose before they set off on this suicidal mission tomorrow.

He had walked in a huge loop around the base, doubling back to the quarters he shared with the Commander. He paused at the door, wondering for a moment if he heard voices inside before entering anyway. The room was dark and Commander Knight was in bed. He barely glances at her as he sat down on his bed, pulling off his boots. It was only then that he realised that the Commander's bed seemed a lot fuller than normal.

"Commander?"

Her head popped out from beneath the covers, looking slightly flushed. He locked eyes with hers before the Doctor's head emerged a moment later, an embarrassed but pleased grin on his face.

Fred began to gabble. "He...um, just needed somewhere to sleep. All the beds are taken in the team's quarters."

Napier peered at them, and was relieved to see that they were both clothed and it seemed that they intended to stay that way. "Right. As long as we all get some rest."

Before tomorrow.

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><p><em>Please leave a review...they're the best and I need cheering up!<em>


	12. The Oncoming Storm

A/N: Hey all! Once again (I seem to be doing this every chapter lately!) I'm sorry for not updating for a while...my university tutors seem to think that Christmas time is the best time to start handing out assignments. FOOLS! Anyway, thanks for the 'get well' messages...I am indeed back up to full health and I come bearing a new chapter and it's pretty mammoth!

As ever, thanks for reviewing the last chapter: **MayFairy, padmay97, alyssa love, D0ctor **and **Olive Russell (x2)!**

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><p><span>The Oncoming Storm<span>

"No, not yet." The Doctor whined, attempting to stroke the hand that was shaking him awake. "Fred, stop it. We were all comfy. Come back to bed."

"No, thanks." A voice growled. The Doctor's eyes shot open to see Napier grinning at him. "Come on, lover boy. We need to start making tracks if we're gonna get to Arrow's Head by midday."

Napier threw him his shirt, braces, bow tie and jacket which had been draped over the chair in the corner and left, leaving the Doctor alone in the room. He had no idea where Fred had gone. They had slept in the same bed numerous times before but she had never woken earlier than him before. He supposed that everything had changed since she had become a soldier.

* * *

><p>"Good, everyone's here." Fred said loudly, getting everyone's attention. The Doctor settled against the wall next to Amy who looked as equally out of place as he was. "We'll be setting off in a moment but I just wanted to wish you all luck before we leave. This won't be easy; Arrow's Head is swarming with Malums but General Garnett assures me that help is already en-route so we won't be fighting alone."<p>

"Who? Not the Army lot?" Rudi asked, already groaning at the thought of Army presence.

"No, not the Army. Garnett said that Elite One are on their way from a mission in the south and will be at Arrow's Head by nightfall."

There was a murmur of discontent among the Elite 2 soldiers.

"Fat lot of use that'll be. We'll be done by nightfall." Deimos said confidently, fondling the gun in his hands and staring blankly ahead with an eerie determination.

"Right, well. That's all I suppose. I expect everyone to spend ten minutes checking everything; I don't want to be halfway to Arrow's Head to find we haven't got enough ammo."

They all began bustling around at her words, attaching ammo packs to their armoured suits and checking their helmets for any weaknesses. Fred began to make her way over to the Doctor, Amy and Rory but Napier's hand on her arm stopped her. He glanced over his shoulder at her friends before muttering something in her ear. She nodded in agreement and Napier released her, opened a crate behind him and presented the Doctor and Amy with two jackets and two helmets. They just stared at him.

"Take the damn things!" He demanded roughly as Fred joined him, and gave them a nod of encouragement. Amy took hers slowly but the Doctor refused. Napier gave him a fierce glare.

"Oh, Doctor just take them!" Fred exclaimed. She thought after they had straightened everything out yesterday he might actually realise that he needed to listen to other people's advice for a change but apparently not.

"No. No, no, no, I'm not wearing military uniform. I'm not becoming a sol – "

"No one's trying to make you a soldier! This is just protective gear, nothing military. Jesus, I'm not trying to give a sodding rocket launcher or anything."

"Do we have rocket launchers?" Deimos piped up behind them, sounding very keen.

"Shut it, Deimos!" Napier barked.

The Doctor grumbled but took them, realising he had little choice in the matter.

"Besides," Fred continued. "You're going to need those helmets for communication more than anything. When we get close to the base, we can't use radios; they'll be too easily picked up so we'll be talking through the system built into the helmets."

Amy nodded, understanding and pulled on her protective jacket; she would gratefully accept anything that would help everyone get through alive. She didn't have a stupid sense of pride like the Doctor did. Fred seized the Doctor's hand as he fiddled with the helmet.

"Doctor. For once, can you please just do as you're told? If you don't listen to us, you'll wind up dead."

* * *

><p>"How did you find us?" Fred's voice made Amy jump; she'd thought she was a few metres back, protecting the group from behind as they journeyed across the sea of red dust to Arrow's Head base. Rory had been assigned a place in the middle of the group and Amy's eyes hardly left his back, constantly checking he was safe. The Doctor was only slightly in front of Amy – quiet for once – and she could tell he was listening.<p>

"We guessed you'd be on Acadess, we just didn't know what year. So we got some help from one of the Doctor's old friends. Jack Harkness...he's head of some alien defence thing on Earth. He had a vortex manipulator so we tracked you down and got here as soon as we could."

"Ah." Was all Fred said. They carried on walking in silence for a few moments more before Amy asked, "Fred, Doctor? What the hell's going on?"

Fred gave a slight bemused laugh while the Doctor remained silent, as though he hadn't heard their conversation at all. "What do you mean?"

"I mean...I get that we're going to this base but...what's all this for? Why are we even here? Why is this so relevant that the Parters had to send us back here and alter history just to get us to this point? And if it was so important, why didn't they just put us all down here at once? What was the point in splitting us up?"

"You got me." Fred shook her head.

"Maybe it was to change us." The Doctor chipped in suddenly, a bitter edge to his voice that left no one wondering who it was aimed at.

"Or make us realise who we really are." Fred countered and the Doctor's body tensed a little.

Amy looked at Fred and immediately wished that she wasn't wearing a helmet; it was impossible to read her expression through the darkened visor. Instead of questioning Fred's words aloud, Amy just pushed on and thought about them, her eyes still not leaving Rory's back. She had lost him once. Not again.

"Fred...about Rory and this – "

"I'll look after him, Amy. While I've been Commander, we've yet to lose a team member and I don't intend to start now."

Amy paused before saying, sincerely, "Thank you."

* * *

><p>It was over two hours later when Rory was told to get on all fours and crawl his way up the hill that overlooked Arrow's Head base. It wasn't the most elegant of tasks but he was used to such orders by now. He wasn't a natural fighter; the team knew that so he was mostly assigned observation jobs when he wasn't tending to the team's fragile health. Occasionally, Rory thought that perhaps he should be embarrassed to settle for a less taxing role than the others but in truth he wasn't. Someone needed to do it and fighting and killing...well, it just didn't come naturally to him. Fred assured him that that was nothing to be ashamed of.<p>

And so Private Rory Williams finally felt useful, like he was doing something that mattered rather than just tagging along with his wife and his alien friend on adventures across the universe. Here, in this war, he wasn't just a shadow in the background. Here, he was the only medic in the history of Elite teams. And he was proud of that.

However, all thoughts of pride disappeared from his mind as he lay in the dirt and peered down at Arrow's Head base. There were at least two hundred Malums in that base and all he could think about was how afraid he was. Not really for himself (Rory felt like he had died and come back to life so many times that death must be allergic to him) but for his team mates and for Amy and the Doctor of course. Oddly, he had a feeling they would be fine though; Rory had an inexplicable feeling of certainty about that. It wouldn't stop him worrying but it would at least appease him a little. It was his team he feared for the most.

"Williams?" Napier's voice called him sharply and Rory winced at how loud the in-helmet communications were. "What's it looking like from up there?"

"Not so good, sir. There are over two hundred Malums inside and surrounding the base."

Napier cursed but said, "Alright, Williams. Commander said she wants you stationed up there and we're sending your friends up too. There's no way we can protect them in a fire fight."

"Understood, sir."

Moments later, Rory felt Amy's hand on his shoulder as she crouched down beside him and the Doctor did the same on the other side. He seemed very tense and had barely spoken the whole way here. The Doctor took his helmet off then and Rory saw his expression and his heart ached with sympathy for the Doctor. Rory would recognise that expression anywhere; thin lips, a furrowed brow and fear in his eyes. Rory wore that expression every time Amy was in the slightest danger. It was in that moment that Rory realised how much the Doctor cared for Fred and it was also at that moment when Elite 2 began their advance into the occupied base.

* * *

><p>Fred glanced behind her at her team, and forced herself to let the Commander mind-set clamp down over her eyes. She needed to forget the Doctor and Amy and Rory on the hillside and just act like this was an ordinary battle that she had taken part in for the past year and a half. "Rudi, get to the top floor and snipe down. Napier, take the outside areas with Phin. Deimos, we'll take the middle centre. Let's give them a surprise."<p>

Deimos' mad laugh echoed in her ears as they advanced inside the steel building. Fred shook off her earlier conversations with the Doctor and Amy and told herself to focus. The door hissed open and there was the squawk of a surprised Malum before the sound of gunfire rang in her ears along with Deimos' cackle as he fired over and over again into the crowd. Fred raised her own pistol and shot three rounds into a large Malum at the opposite end of the room. It clattered to the floor and Fred twirled to fire on the stream of small Malums running wildly towards her and Deimos. Fred pulled the larger gun from her back and held the trigger down, firing hundreds of bullets into the oncoming forces. In mere moments, the floor was littered with slumped bodies, bright blood and useless weapons.

Fred surveyed the scene, surprised at how quickly they had taken them all down. There would be more in the adjoining rooms, probably arming themselves now after hearing the gunshots from this room.

Deimos wandered past her, reloading his rifle and kicking the dead Malums as he walked. "You sorted them quick, Ma'am. Angry?" He joked.

She snorted and reloaded her own weapon, making her way over to the next door. "You don't know the half, Dei."

* * *

><p>Rudi swung the large sniper's rifle in the Malum's face, knocking it to the floor in a pool of blood. He did a quick scan of the area to check there were no more surrounding him. Satisfied he was alone, he straightened up and paced into the last room to his left, finding it blissfully empty. He shook off his rucksack, took the bullets out and reloaded his rifle. He took aim at one of the Malums in a large group three levels down. He eased his finger onto the trigger and pressed.<p>

There was a loud bang and the Malum fell. The others scattered, squawking and panicking. Rudi grinned and took aim again, relishing the isolation and the odd peace he found in his job.

* * *

><p>"Behind you!" Phin's voice bellowed suddenly in his ear and Lieutenant Napier turned just in time to bury his knife into the Malum's throat. It gurgled, its eyes wide, and slid to the floor. Napier jerked his knife out of the beast and watched Phin kill the last one, admiring her skill. She reattached her gun to her hip and looked at him. Although he couldn't see her expression, he could tell she was grinning.<p>

"What would you do without me? _Sir_?" She added the 'sir' as an afterthought and he growled.

"Don't give me that 'sir' bullshit. I don't like it...not from you."

She stilled as though he had surprised her before she slapped him on the back. "Come on. Commander said she wants us all to meet in the main room."

* * *

><p>The sun had set over Arrow Head's base a while ago but the attack was still ongoing. Fred watched Napier and Phin file in from outside, the stars blinking outside in the dark sky. Rudi buzzed in over the helmets, preferring to join in the meeting from his position on the top floor.<p>

"Right, everyone, this is going well. Good job so far. I know we're all feeling the pain a little but we're nearly done. There are just two more rooms to go before this base is ours again."

They all nodded and winced, each of the feeling their injuries now they had stopped for breath. Fred was trying to ignore the large cut down her left shin, Deimos was nursing a sprained ankle, Napier had a gash on his right hand and Phin rolled her shoulder and it clicked ominously.

"Alright. Let's go. You good to go Rudi?"

"Yes, ma'am. No problem. Got visual on a group two rooms left of your current position. The other's six to your right on the level above."

"Thanks Rudi. Lieutenant and Phin, take the room on this level. Deimos, you and I will take the one on the next level. "

"Yes, ma'am. I always knew I was your favourite."

"This is _so_ not the time, Deimos."

* * *

><p>Fred and Deimos cleared the room easily; there were only a few Malums inside. Deimos strode over to her, ready to pat her on the back but the helmet communication crackled and Phin's voice said, "We could really do with some help down here!"<p>

"On our way!"

They raced down the stairs guns at the ready, and burst through the double doors into the huge room where Phin and Napier were desperately trying to push back the Malums and struggling. This room was evidently the one the Malums had chosen to use as their main base.

"Need help, Elite 2?" A smooth voice said in their helmets.

"Elite One's here! Let's get this wrapped up before Shaw and his lot arrive." Deimos said, not wanting Shaw to get any credit for this mission. They all began pushing forward faster, firing faster, killing faster. They were nearly done; they had managed to push them outside into the cold, clear night. There were only five Malums left on the ground. One fell, then another, then another until there were only two left. Fred barely winced as a bullet streaked past her; she was so focused on shooting the last two down. Deimos took one down. Only one left...

"NO!"

Napier barged past her, and Fred was immediately distracted. She turned to see what Napier was rushing towards and heard Deimos take the last one down with one clean shot. But she wasn't focussed on that; all she could see, all she could think about was Phin's body on the floor, still and lifeless with a bullet in her neck. Napier clutched her to his chest, his hands shaking. There was another shot and Rudi's voice said,

"Malum ship above, ma'am!"

Fred glanced above her and saw a huge, blue Malum ship hovering over, it's guns trained on them.

"Get inside! Inside!" She cried.

Deimos insisted on her going in before him, and Napier carried Phin inside. He knelt down and lowered her to the floor. She didn't move.

* * *

><p>"She's gone." Rory confirmed quietly, brushing the blood off Phin's cold face. "She's gone."<p>

Amy looked around at the room; the team looked so much smaller now Phin was gone. Deimos was sat on the step of the door outside, his eyes on the sky in case the Malum ship returned. Rudi had come down from his place and was stood by the wall, quiet as usual. Napier was stood over Phin's body with his helmet still on. They were all quiet expect Fred who was stood by the other door, her helmet under her arm, calling down the corridor,

"What time do you call this? We've already finished!" She sounded pleased.

Amy's mind couldn't match Fred's relaxed tone with Phin's dead body in a heap on the floor and it seemed the Doctor couldn't either. His jaw was tense and his eyes burned with anger. But – thankfully – he didn't say anything. When Amy looked back at Fred, she had stepped aside and a group of soldiers dressed like Fred's team had entered, their weapons strapped to their backs. The man at the front with the stripes of silver on his suit removed his helmet to reveal a handsome, manly face with piercing blue eyes and slick brown hair.

He wandered over to Napier who still hadn't moved.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Lieutenant. Phin was a damn good soldier." He placed a hand on Napier's shoulder who finally cracked. He shook the hand off his armoured shoulder and grabbed the man by the front of his armour.

"DON'T TOUCH ME, SHAW! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"My fault?" Shaw growled, his handsome face contorting in confusion.

"IF YOU'D ARRIVED EARLIER SHE WOULDN'T BE DEAD!"

"Stop it!" Fred seized Napier by the arm and dragged him off Shaw. "Tom, calm down! This isn't any of our faults. This is _them_."

It seemed Fred was the only one who could calm Napier because calm he did. His breathing was still quick and loud but he stalked off into a dark corner of the room, hiding in the shadows.

"Come on." Fred said to all of them, intentionally avoiding the Doctor's eyes. "Let's get into the base's quarters."

"We're not leaving her here!" Napier scooped Phin up into his arms again. "She's coming with us."

"I know." She said softly.

Amy followed them, and wondered why Napier was so calm about Fred's relaxed attitude. It was riling her and she assumed it was riling the Doctor and they had only met Phin yesterday. But she pushed it out of her mind as Rory slipped an arm around her waist and gave her a sad smile. He looked at the Doctor behind them who was staring at the floor, his hands clenched by his sides.

"I wouldn't want to be Fred right now." Amy said quietly.

Rory took another glance at the Time Lord and said rather cryptically, "I'm not so sure that's what he's angry about."

* * *

><p>The living quarters were comfortable enough but certainly not luxurious. Fred sat alone on her bunk, facing the screen on the wall in a plain black vest and black shorts, holding a piece of cloth to her bloodied leg.<p>

"Well done, Knight. It's good to have Arrow's Head Base back on our map. And please send my condolences to your team; Seraphina was a fantastic soldier and she will be missed by all I'm sure." General Garnett said sincerely.

"Thank you, sir. I will." The door hissed open behind her and she saw Napier's large reflection in the glass of the screen.

Garnett noticed him come in and simply said, "Lieutenant."

"Sir."

"That will be all Commander Knight. I trust you will brief Commander Shaw and his team in the morning?"

"I will, sir."

"Good, good. I will be leaving at first light to join you all there. Some military forces have been assigned permanent positions there. We lost Arrow's Head once and I don't intend to lose it again. Goodbye Commander. Get some rest."

"Yes, sir."

The screen fell black and Fred was faced with her own reflection. She stared at herself, and tried to come to terms with what happened today. It was all too much...she had never lost a member of the team before – not while she was Commander at least.

"I'm taking a shower."

Napier sounded hoarse and raw. She heard him close the door of the shower room and let her mask slide off. There was only one reason Napier wasn't angry with her; he knew her too well. He knew that she was just being strong because this was _her_ team and she couldn't let them see that she was shaken. She needed to be a pillar of strength. Breaking down in front of them was just something she felt she couldn't do. On her own however...on her own she could do what she liked.

And so she let herself weep. The tears came slowly at first; her eyes were fires of rage and sadness before a fat, hot tear rolled down her cheek. And then she couldn't stop. Her breath burst from her in gasps and her fingers clawed at her scalp. She felt so helpless, so _weak_. She was sobbing so loudly, she didn't hear the door open again.

The Doctor's arm dropped around her shoulders and he pulled her into his torso, holding her as the sobs died down and her cheeks dried.

"It's alright." His voice was soothing and familiar as he stroked her hair.

"I –I –I thought you were a – angry with me." Fred choked, wiping her eyes.

"No. I'm not angry with you. This war is just so...brutal." He took her hand and squeezed it. "I'm not angry with you at all. You're my girl, remember?"

She laughed weakly through her tears and he kissed the top of her head. They stayed like that for a while, until the shower room door opened and Napier entered the room again. Fred slid away from the Doctor, watching Napier. The Doctor stood and made to leave, saying,

"I'll see you in the morning. Rest."

Fred nodded and he disappeared from sight. She fixed her eyes on Napier again, not sure of how he dealt with grief.

"Tom? Are you alright?" She only used his first name in times like these, times when the subject matter was personal. She knew he didn't really like it but it usually got him to open up a little more.

"I'm fine." Fred watched in confusion as he pulled on his armoured suit again and heaved his huge gun onto his back. "I'm going to sort this. I'm going to put this right. Tonight."

He turned to face her and she was surprised to see he hadn't cried, not even in the shower where no one could see. Tom Napier never cried. He just avenged.

* * *

><p><em>I hope that was alright to follow; I know there was a lot going at once but I wanted to portray the battle as quick paced and frantic.<em>

_Anywoodle, thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed it!_

_P.S: I'm currently planning a fluffy 11/Fred one shot for Christmas that will be posted to 'Four Minds' soon (probably Christmas Eve) but I hope to get another one shot up in there before that one which will mostly contain an awful lot of the Doctor being baffled by romance and a healthy dose of 11/Rory bromance...because who doesn't love it?_


	13. Thunder

A/N: Hello all! After writing a few one shots, I'm back! This is a bit of a violent chapter (yay!) and there's yet more Fred/Doctor tension (will those two _ever_ have a steady relationship?). I hope you enjoy it!

Huge thanksy thanks to **Olive Russell, MayFairy, D0ctor, Brownbug** and **JemilyXSixx **for their reviews!

* * *

><p><span>Thunder<span>

"I trust you all slept as well as you could." General Garnett said to the room at large. The first thing the Doctor noticed was that he was tense. The General's usually cheerful face was contorted into a frown and there were beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. The second thing he noticed was that Fred and Napier still hadn't arrived. Garnett stood at the front of the room and said sternly,

"Right. Today we push toward the Eye. We lost a good officer yesterday, but we must push on; this is the only chance we're going to have to end this war. Gentleman...lady..." Garnett added remembering Amy. "Today is the day we have all been fighting so hard for. We get the Doctor to the Eye and this war is over."

"As long as he can solve the code." Rudi added dryly.

"Yes, of course." The Doctor nodded towards him.

"There isn't a long way to go from here but we'll need to keep our eyes peeled. When we took this base, the enemy knew what we were doing; they know we're going for the Eye. Expect a full scale battle."

There was a tense silence from both Elite teams, except from Deimos who let out a puff of excitement and said, "So when do we leave?"

General Garnett hesitated and everyone stared. The General never second guessed himself; he was always sure of his decisions.

"I..." He trailed off. "The initial plan was to leave today..." He looked around at them all and cleared his throat. "We will leave today, as planned. I will not deviate. Elite 2...you will join Elite One. Commander Shaw will be your new leader."

"What?" Deimos burst, glaring at Commander Shaw like he'd punched him. But Shaw looked as surprised as everyone else.

"Sir?" Rory began tentatively. "Sir, why do we need to join with Elite One? We're already a team."

"Three is not a team, Williams!" Garnett finally broke, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Three? Sir, we've only lost Phin; there are still five of us – "

"Not anymore!"

"Where's Commander Knight?" Shaw asked, his eyes darting around the room. Did the Doctor detect a hint of worry in his voice?

General Garnett sighed wearily. "She and Lieutenant Napier have gone missing. Their disappearance is under investigation but as long as you're happy to continue – "

"We're not." Deimos said sharply, sounding protective. "I don't want to continue without the Commander. I'm not going anywhere until she's found."

* * *

><p>Commander Fred Knight had never seen so much blood on one person.<p>

Napier prowled the sleek black corridor oblivious to Fred's stare, a huge gun in his hands. His eyes flickered from one door to another. Fred leaned against the wall, reloading her nearly empty gun and catching her breath. Malums bodies surrounded their feet and there was a persistent banging coming from the other side of one of the doors.

"You're sure about this? Chances are we won't get out of here unscathed...alive even."

"You didn't have to come with me." Napier growled back. "I _told_ you to stay on base. They need a leader."

"They'll get one. Shaw's always eager to take over. I'm sure he can manage until we get back. _If_ we get back."

Napier gave her a look like he didn't even care. "Come on. We've come this far. Only these few corridors and the bridge to go and it's ours."

Fred nodded, clicked her gun off safety and stood up straight. Napier tapped at the keypad next to the door in front of them. Fred had a split second to think before the door opened; images of the Doctor and Amy and Rory flashed into her mind. She smiled, remembering all the fun they'd had and wondered how it had come to this.

The door hissed open and twelve guns open fired on them.

* * *

><p>Deimos followed General Garnett so closely he was nearly stepping on the back of his boots. He wasn't a patient man, he never had been and if he wanted something – if he decided it was worth his time to want something – he wanted it immediately. He wanted to know where his leading officers were and he wouldn't rest until he found out. He was closely followed by the Doctor whose brow was knit with worry, Medical Officer Williams and his wife, Rudi and – to all of their surprises – Commander Shaw. Deimos inwardly seethed; Shaw was here to check whether he had complete control over both Elite teams was he? Well he was going to make sure that slimy bastard didn't get it.<p>

If he wouldn't have anything to kill today, at least he'd have an objective. Deimos was a soldier through and through; his whole life was killing and missions and objectives. And he loved every minute.

"Any news?" Garnett asked one of the army Captains that had arrived early that morning.

"We haven't been able to track them, sir. However, we have noticed that a small shuttle craft is missing the hanger."

Garnett groaned loudly. "Right. Well...thank you for being the bearer of bad news Captain Maguire."

The Captain gave a sympathetic smile and turned to leave but found a bumbling soldier in his way. "Private Hannigan, what is it?"

"Well, sir, I think I might know where the Commander and Lieutenant have gone."

"Then by all means go on, Private."

"T-thank you, General." The Private stammered, obviously not used to being addressed by someone with such high authority. "Well, Lieutenant Napier and Commander Knight came to see me last night when I was on observation duty, sir. I was a little overwhelmed, you see sir, because it was my first day yesterday and I hadn't really met an Elite soldier before – "

"Get to the point, Hannigan!" Captain Maguire snapped.

"Right you are, sir! They asked me if I could rewind the base's surveillance tapes and get an image of the ship that attacked last night during the overtaking of the base. So I did and they wrote down the number of the ship. Then they asked me if I could send the ship's last known co-ordinates to one of the shuttle computers."

"And you did?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry if I've caused trouble, sir but they are my commanding officers and I had to do as I was instructed! I thought it was an order from you, sir!"

"It's alright, Hannigan." The General held up his hand to calm the young soldier. "You did all you could and you were right to tell us. Now back to your station. You too, Captain Maguire."

"Yes, sir!" They both chanted and hurried off back to their work.

"So they've gone to avenge Seraphina, have they? I can't say I blame them but it's bloody foolhardy!" Garnett leaned against the rail, taking deep breaths.

A grim silence fell over the assembled group before the Doctor sprang to life, trying to get everyone moving. "Right, come on! Someone get me those co-ordinates and I'll find them in no time! Come on, quick smart! You lot better get into one of those shuttles. Who can drive one? Aside from dear old me, of course."

"I can." Shaw's smooth, dark voice came from the back of the group. Deimos hissed loudly, making his feelings clear. Shaw made no attempt to reply, he just glared at Deimos as he passed on his way to the shuttle.

"I thought you'd be staying here, _sir_." Deimos drawled, catching up with Shaw's long strides easily. "I thought you'd be keen to mobilise your team and save the day."

"Well then you thought wrong." Shaw said calmly, but his eyes were narrowed. "I take the well being of my fellow officers very seriously."

Deimos' lip curled as he followed Shaw into the shuttle. If Shaw wasn't after Commander Knight's position, then what _was_ he after?

* * *

><p>The shuttle shook violently as it locked on to the gravitational pull of the Malums' ship. Shaw, Deimos, Rudi and Rory all loaded their guns and General Garnett's voice crackled over the comms from base.<p>

"Have you landed yet, Shaw?"

"Just lowering into the landing bay now, sir." Shaw said, easing the shuttle's controls into a smooth downward position. "No Malum guns fired on us as we approached, sir."

"They're probably distracted." The Doctor said a little ominously as he scanned for life signs. "There's no one close to the shuttle. The nearest sign of life is over the other side of the ship."

"Then let's go!" Amy said, sliding out of her seat.

"No, I'm not sure that's wise, Ma'am. I think you'd better stay here. We can't be responsible for your safety once inside and Malums don't distinguish the difference between a soldier and civilian."

"You must be joking!" Amy exclaimed, crossing her arms and pouting. "One of my best friends is in there and I'm not sitting back and letting my other best friend and my husband go inside and find her without me!"

Shaw raised his eyebrows and a wide grin broke out over his handsome face. "Alright then. But you might need this." He threw her a pistol and she caught it gingerly. "I understand if you'd don't want to use it but it's still nice to have something to hold onto, isn't it?"

Amy swallowed and nodded, her eyes not leaving the block of cold steel in her hands. She tucked it in the back pocket of her jeans and straightened up. "Come on then!" She linked arms with Rory and the Doctor. "Let's go and kick some arse, boys."

* * *

><p>When the gunfire finally ceased, Fred's ears were ringing. She winced and shook her head, trying to disperse the noise trapped in her ears. Napier didn't seem all that affected, instead he threw his gun onto his back and lit a cigarette, blowing clouds of bitter smoke out of his mouth. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment; the first sign of fatigue he had shown. Fred herself was exhausted. Her feet were throbbing in her steel-toe capped boots and her skin ached to feel air in her suffocating armour. She, like Napier, had abandoned her helmet in the shuttle; she hated wearing it as it was and wearing it inside seemed mad.<p>

Napier finished his cigarette and crushed the butt beneath his boot. "Ready?"

Fred's body screamed "_No!"_ but she nodded and inhaled deeply. "Come on then. Just the bridge to go."

* * *

><p>Rudi eased open the door from the landing bay and eased inside, his eyes and his gun still alert even though the Doctor had given the all clear. He took one step inside and nearly tripped over a dead Malum with its throat slit. He peered down the corridor and saw that this pattern continued along the hall.<p>

"Well they've been busy." Rudi said as Deimos whistled, impressed. Amy and Rory followed, their eyes wide at the sight that met them. Shaw entered next; he said nothing but there was an odd expression on his face, something caught between admiration and shock. The Doctor came in last, his face stony. "Everything still all clear, Doctor?" Rudi asked.

"Yes." He said quietly, his eyes flickering from one dead body to the next. He couldn't believe that she could have done this. He found her so difficult to understand. Just yesterday he had held her as she cried; just the day before he had shared a bed with her. And now she had done this, killed so many. His mind could barely comprehend it. He desperately wanted to blame the Master – and did to a certain extent – but he knew she had been lusting after excitement before she had even met the Master.

"Doctor?" Rory called from further down the corridor. "Where now?"

* * *

><p>The Doctor was hoping the trail of murder would lessen the further into the ship they went but it just got worse. More bodies littered the floor, more blood splattered the walls.<p>

"In here." The Doctor gestured towards the steel door in front of them. "They're in there."

Deimos nodded and took point, approaching slowly. He door's locking system had already been overridden so all he needed to do was pressed the green button to his right. He took one last look at everyone behind him, making sure they were all ready, and pressed it. The sound of gunfire exploded into their ears. Deimos gave a howl of delight and charged in immediately, his gun trained on a Malum that had begun to sprint towards them. Deimos shot it twice in the head and its blood covered the screen behind it.

Rudi shot from the doorway, Rory firing the pistol over his shoulder and making sure the Doctor and Amy were still behind him out of the way. The Doctor desperately wanted to do something, to stop this somehow but he knew this was out of his control. He had landed somewhere that – until he reached the Eye – was completely immune to his logic. After a few moments of searching, he spotted Fred in the corner of the room, a rifle in one hand and a bloodied knife in the other. He watched her kill and felt like he didn't know her at all.

Deimos turned to shoot another Malum but it stopped in front of him and dropped its gun, raising its hands and chattering in another language that – the Doctor realised with a start – the TARDIS was unable to translate. "Yeah, get on the floor. All of you!" Deimos snarled, waving his gun towards the other three Malums who all copied the actions of the first.

"Well, there's a first." Fred said, holstering her gun and letting the knife slide into the leg of her boot. "Malums surrendering?"

"Commander Shaw?" General Garnett's voice crackled over Shaw's comms who was leaning against one of the control panels and wiping the alien blood off the end of his gun. He started and responded,

"Yes, sir?"

"Is Knight there? Put her on."

Shaw passed his comms over to Fred with a grin. Their eyes met for a second and they seemed to share an odd look, one of enjoyable dislike. Fred broke eye contact with Shaw eventually and said casually into the comms,

"You called, General?"

"Don't you speak to me like that!" Garnett snapped. "For fuck's sake, Knight what were you thinking? And Napier too, tell him – "

"I'll give him a scolding from you shall I, sir?" Fred quipped with a slight grin. "I assume we're going to have a meeting back at Arrow's Head, sir?"

"Too right we are!"

"Well I look forward to that, sir but we've got a situation here. We've got four Malums surrendering. What do you want us to do with them?"

Garnett seemed to hesitate, the shock making him momentarily confused. "Surrendering, eh? Well, I suppose you'd better bring them back to base with you. We'll use them for information."

Napier heard this and snorted angrily. "Information? They won't talk. They never do."

Garnett didn't hear him. "Get everyone back here as ASAP, Knight and for god's sake don't take another detour on the way."

"Yes, sir." The comms line crackled again and then fell silent.

"You heard him." Fred said, her Commander's tone harsher than her usual voice. "Let's back to the shuttles. Bring those Malums with us."

"You can't be serious, Fred?" Napier exclaimed, using her first name for once. "This is bullshit! Keeping them alive will achieve nothing!"

"So you think killing them in cold blood while they're unarmed is a better solution?" The Doctor growled, unable to stop himself interfering. He may not have any hold over either side in this war, but he could at least speak up for their morality.

"Yes." Napier was firm in his belief.

"Right." The Doctor said, nodding angrily. "And you don't think that decision has been influenced by the events of yesterday?"

Napier moved so quickly the Doctor didn't see him until Fred, Deimos and Rudi were pulling him back while he bellowed, "SAY THAT AGAIN!"

The Doctor was shaken. He had only meant to help Napier admit why he was so angry and his grief over Phin; he hadn't meant to antagonise him.

"TOM, STOP!" Fred demanded, standing in front of him. Napier's breathing slowed and he shook off Rudi and Deimos. He glared at the Doctor but made no move to attack him again. "Right." Fred said, catching her breath. "We take them with us." Napier began to protest but she held up her hand. "I agree it's useless! But Garnett's expecting them now."

"You're really going to sit next to them in the shuttle all the way back to base?"

Fred's eyes flickered then, like she was sorely tempted to join Napier in his desire to kill them now but she made no response. Instead, she picked up her rifle again and pointed it at the unarmed Malums. "Come on. Up!"

"Napier, Shaw, we'll take the Malums in one shuttle. The rest of you in the one you came in. Deimos, you're the Commanding officer."

"Sweet!"

"Don't get excited. It's just for your shuttle and just until you get back to base."

* * *

><p>The walk back to the shuttles through the dead ship was tense. Fred was working hard to keep Napier away from the Doctor for fear of what he might do to him if he said anything else. She kept an eye on Shaw too, suspicious of his reasons for coming with the others to find them. She and Shaw had never got on well; they'd always had an intense dislike for each other but she couldn't deny that there was a frisson on attraction between them. But Fred didn't think this was particularly unusual or worrying...surely that attraction was normal between two people who disliked each other, were in competition but still found each other more than pleasant to look at?<p>

She had to keep an eye on Deimos too in case he got drunk on power.

They were nearly at the landing bay when Napier said, "The sooner we can get back to base, the sooner _he_ can piss off." He gestured towards the Doctor without even looking.

Fred inwardly groaned.

"You want me to go?" The Doctor countered, irritated. "Then this war will never be over. I'm the only one that can solve the riddle of the Eye."

Napier snorted. "Yeah, well ain't that fantastic? We've been fighting for this planet for years and you just wander in, press a few buttons and you think it's all gonna be fixed?"

"I can sort this. I can finish this so no one else has to die." He seized Fred's hand and stroked it with his thumb. "Fred, you – "

"Don't!" She jerked her hand out of his. "Don't do that!"

The Doctor was frozen with surprise, his hand still hovering in mid-air. "What? I don't..."

"You can't just take my hand and expect me to side with you no matter what!" Fred softened slightly when she saw how hurt he looked. "I'm sorry, Doctor but...'us' just isn't enough this time."

She climbed the steps of the shuttle, her knife poking one of the Malums in the back. She gave the Doctor a mournful look as she turned and closed the door. She'd shut him out.

* * *

><p>In the shuttle they'd arrived in, the Doctor was restless despite everyone else's moods being lifted at the return of Fred and Napier and their imminent journey to the Eye where – hopefully – the war would be ended.<p>

The Doctor watched Amy perch on Rory's lap and press a quick kiss to his lips. He smiled and was surprised to find envy bubbling in his stomach. He had never wanted a domestic relationship before; he was contented with friends and passing flirtations. Since Fred's return, things had changed a little. Not enough to make him feel uncomfortable but enough for him to notice when she wasn't there.

Even though she was mere metres from him in the shuttle flying next to them, she felt so far away and his hearts ached for her to be close again.

* * *

><p>The first thing the Doctor heard when he exited the shuttle was General Garnett's voice shouting,<p>

"WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED NOW? ARE YOU TRYING TO SEND ME INTO AN EARLY GRAVE, KNIGHT?"

The Doctor followed Amy and Rory down the steps to get a better look at the commotion. Garnett was stood at the bottom of the other shuttle's steps with Fred, Napier and Shaw, looking down at something. Amy peered over their shoulders and immediately recoiled covering her mouth.

"Oh my god! I was not at all prepared for that."

Rory put his arm around her. "S'alright, Amy. I know they're a bit..._gross_ aren't they?"

The Doctor blanched at the site of the four Malums they had been instructed to bring back, dead in a heap on the floor at the soldiers' feet.

"They kicked off, sir." Fred said calmly.

"Kicked off?" Garnett repeated hollowly.

"Yes, sir." Napier answered through a mouthful of cigarette smoke, finally looking appeased. "So we didn't really have any choice, did we?"

Garnett looked at them suspiciously. "I, er...I suppose not. We'll go on then. Back to your quarters to get some rest. And make sure no one else organises another little field trip, eh? We need to get to the Eye tomorrow."

"Yes, sir!" All the soldiers chanted before heading back up the stairs to the Officers' Mess. Just before Shaw could leave with the others, Garnett called him back.

"Shaw, was there really a scene? Did the Malums really kick off?"

Shaw gave him a slight smile. "Of course, sir. I highly doubt Commander Knight and Lieutenant Napier would lie about such a thing."

Garnett nodded slowly and let him go and rejoin his team.

* * *

><p>When Fred found him that evening, the Doctor was sitting alone at a table, hunched over some wires and electrical casing. She took the chance to look at him properly seen as he hadn't noticed her. He was worried, she could tell. He always threw himself into fixing things or making things when he was anxious about something.<p>

"What do you think it's going to be? The Eye?" Her question didn't make him jump. He'd either known she was there or he had been expecting her. Knowing the Doctor, it was both.

"Who knows? Could be anything." He spoke shortly, like he was addressing a passing acquaintance rather than someone he'd known for three years, someone he'd shared a bed with, someone he adored...

Fred walked towards him slowly, her arms crossed. When she reached him, she sat on the table right next to whatever he was working on. When he didn't look at her, she seized his hand and squeezed it.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly when he finally met her gaze.

He desperately wanted to tell her that holding his hand wouldn't work, that the idea of _'us'_ just wasn't enough anymore; he wanted to use her own words against her.

But he couldn't. Because to him _'us'_ would always be enough.

So he kissed her hand and closed his eyes. Tomorrow would decide it for them. Tomorrow would decide if this war would be over and they could go back to normal or if they would be changed forever.

* * *

><p><em>Another chapter done! After this one, there's three more and the epilogue to go!<em>

_I hope you've liked it all so far and are looking forward to what's to come including a blossoming relationship (that isn't Fred/Doctor...gasp!), the Eye and a present for Fred._


	14. The Eye of the Storm

A/N: I'm baaaaaaaaack! Yay! This is a bit of a prologue to the action but I hope it's not too much of a snooze fest! I wanted to explore the Doctor's feelings in this, get Fred back to her playful self a bit and address some of the issues which are (hopefully!) going to be tied up by the end. I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks to all who reviewed: **Mrs 11th, MayFairy, Olive Russell** _(I couldn't reply to you personally because the PM feature's down on your profile...and you're totally right about Halo!_),** ScaredyDog** and **Brownbug!** You guys are fabulousa!

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><p><span>The Eye of the Storm<span>

For the first time in nearly two years, Fred was bored. Fighting a war on Acadess had never been boring before but sitting in General Garnett's office next to Napier (who looked much like an overgrown schoolboy hunched over in his seat as he waited for a scolding) wasn't something that thrilled her. Fred reflected that fighting in this war hadn't really done anything to quench her desire for excitement; if anything she'd only become more demanding.

Fred only caught bits of what the General was saying; _"You should've thought about your team...didn't consider how dangerous it was...you could've been killed..."_

Blah, blah, blah.

Fred was _bored._ She risked a glance at Napier who grinned. Fred felt a weight lift off her shoulders. Tom Napier was terminally grumpy, she knew that, but she had really begun to worry about him after Phin's death. Napier didn't feel affection easily but she knew he'd felt it for Phin. She was glad to see he was trying to do what everyone did when they lost someone they cared about; shut the pain up in a box with no lid and – when the initial grief was over – one could pluck up the courage to look inside the box and never forget the person they had lost. Now she knew that all of this, killing all those Malums, the exhaustion when they were on the ship, it had all been worth it to see him grin again.

"Knight! Are you listening to me?"

"Yes, sir. I'm finding this very instructive."

And so he was off again; ranting about teams, and leadership and safety procedures...though Fred was baffled by the latter subject; surely safety wasn't really a contributing factor when they were in the middle of a war. When Garnett's back was turned, Napier mimed a large yawn and Fred guffawed. Garnett heard her and immediately turned back around, eyeing them both beadily.

"Alright. You can both go. But don't you _dare_ try anything like this again!"

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

><p>Out of the corner of his eye, the Doctor saw another figure in the doorway but this time it was Rory's instead of Fred's. He had no idea how long it had been since she had left here to rest.<p>

"Have you been doing that all night?" Rory asked, eyeing the pile of wires on the table.

It had been all night then. The Doctor had lost all sense of time (which was rather alarming for a Time Lord) since his conversation with Fred. He knew that her visit had been her apologising in her own way and, as much as he hated what she was doing in this war, he was starting to realise that he couldn't really condemn her for it. He didn't fully understand; she'd been here for nearly two years and he'd been here for a little over two days. He couldn't compare their experiences.

And there was something else weighing heavily on his mind: the TARDIS. He'd been without her for four days now and he was starting to feel very odd without her pleasant blue glow and her gentle hum. If he did manage to put this right, if he did manage to correct the change in history the Parters had started, would the TARDIS disappear with them? After all, nobody but the Parter that had split them was on board now. Would he take the TARDIS with him into oblivion?

The Malums were also worrying the Doctor. Why hadn't the TARDIS been able to translate their language? She may be far away but her translation technology should always be with those who travelled in her wherever they were; she recognised and translated all alien languages. This only left the Doctor with one idea: they weren't a naturally occurring species. Someone had _made_ them and placed them on the planet to breed and spawn. The Doctor's initial thought had been that the Parters had created them but it seemed far too advanced for even them. So create an entire species – one that wasn't mechanical – was an incredible feat, one he didn't think the Parters would have the time, energy, skill or desire to do. The Parters operated in altering time and relationships; they didn't concern themselves with world wars or issues of politics.

But the Doctor had very little to go on. He'd come to realise that he'd heard of a race very similar to the Parters before but it was long ago, back on Gallifrey in fact. He was sure he'd heard of a race that preyed on the companionship of travellers. Hadn't he heard it once at the annual _Opplidron Festival_? Every year, someone told a story of ancient myth and tried to terrify their audience. The Doctor tried to remember more about it; something about _happiness leading to destruction_...then it hit him. He remembered who had told that story that year, he remembered who had terrified them all, who had told that story with such passion, such conviction...it had been the –

"You alright Doctor?"

The Doctor took one look at Rory and saw his hope, his innocence and his concern for his alien friend. The Doctor knew Rory would understand all of his worries, that he would listen carefully and offer advice even if most of it went over his head. Rory was such a good friend.

"Fine! Why wouldn't I be?" The Doctor beamed. He couldn't let his problems weight Rory down; he'd been through enough already and the Doctor didn't want to pile more onto his laden shoulders.

"Actually, there are quite a lot of reasons why you wouldn't be." Rory said evenly.

The Doctor laughed but it wasn't out of amusement. "That's true. But I'm fine Rory. I can deal with it."

"If you're sure." Rory patted him on the shoulder before turning to leave, knowing that if the Doctor didn't want to talk about it, there would be no convincing him. Just as he was about to pass through the door, the Doctor said,

"Thank you Rory."

"What for?"

"Asking."

* * *

><p>When Napier shouldered his gun and said he was going to the Armoury, Fred nearly let out a cry of joy. As much as she enjoyed his company, she felt like she hadn't been alone for days. In fact, when she thought about it, she realised she hadn't been alone for days. She sat down on a makeshift bed in her and Napier's makeshift quarters and closed her eyes, letting the soothing silence wash over her. After a blissful moment, someone knocked the door and she groaned.<p>

"Can't I just have a minute's peace?" She muttered swiping the door open. She was surprised who she found the other side.

"Hi." Commander Shaw said simply. "Can I come in for a minute?"

She squinted at him, as though as was suspicious of his motives, before standing back to let him past. The door hissed closed behind him.

"What do you want?"

"I'm not here to irritate you, don't worry."

"Really? You're doing a pretty good job so far." Fred shot back, still mourning her lost moment of peace.

"Come on, Knight. Let's push all of this competitive bullshit aside for now, yeah?"

He was looking at her with such an open, inviting expression, she didn't really know what to say.

"Oh...well, I suppose we could. For now."

He folded his arms and leaned against the door, staring at her without saying anything. Fred felt herself start to blush, uncomfortable with his intense gaze.

"What?"

He didn't respond, just kept staring at her. She huffed and turned her back on him, deciding that she should just ignore him and carry on with sorting out her weapons which were all disorganised on the table next to her bunk. Eventually he said,

"We're going to have to work together on this whether you like it or not. It'll take both Elite teams to get your Time Lord friend to the Eye."

"I know. I just told you: I'm fine with that. Just don't expect me to like you."

He gave an incredulous laugh. "What's your problem with me, Knight? What the hell have I ever done to you?"

She whipped around, glaring at him. "Oh please! You've always been vile to me!"

"Me? Really? From what I remember, _you're_ the one who broke _my_ nose!"

"Yeah...well...you were asking for it!"

He snorted and shook his head. "You're bloody infuriating. I like you though."

"_What?"_ Fred hissed.

"Oh come on! You can't tell me you didn't know!"

"How could I have known that? You've always made it clear how much you _don't_ like me! Like making snide comments, and ruining our missions and telling Garnett that I should be Commander – "

"Actually I recommended you for Commander."

"What?" Fred stilled, unsure of whether she should still be angry. "You recommended me? Why?"

He shrugged. "I could see that you'd do a good job."

"Then why did you spend all of your time winding me up?"

"I didn't think you'd take it so seriously! It's good for Elite teams to compete; keeps everyone on their toes."

Fred's mouth opened and then closed again. She found she had no way to respond to this. Shaw actually liked her? Thankfully, a knock came at the door and Rudi said from the other side,

"We're ready to move out, Ma'am. All weapons checked and all troops mobilised. We're ready for the Eye."

* * *

><p>They had been trudging through the fine red dust for a little over an hour when Fred called for them all to halt and take a rest. Amy sat down gratefully, her feet aching. The Doctor sat down next to her, silent and contemplative as was his usual nature of late. Rory was just about to sit down on Amy's other side when Fred called,<p>

"Rory! Come and scout with me!"

Far from complaining, Rory jumped up, looking excited to be going. He pecked Amy on the cheek and said,

"Don't worry. We'll be back soon."

"You'd better be." Amy tried to keep her tone light and playful and devoid of the worry that bubbled in her stomach.

She watched Rory hurry towards Fred who was waiting next to Deimos who was pacing, impatient for a fight as always. Amy looked on past them and saw that there was nothing but flat red dust in front of them until a hill swept up from the ground at the very boundaries of her vision. She supposed that was where they were heading.

So she would be able to see them until they reached the hill. Good. That hill was still a way off.

* * *

><p>The hill was much steeper that Rory had expected and he kept losing his footing in the slippery dust. Fred was a little in front of him, her smaller hands and feet holding on better than his larger ones. When they were near the top, Fred gave the signal for Rory to get down on his stomach and she did the same. Their progress to the top was significantly slower this way, but it was also much safer.<p>

Rory began to hear noises from over the other side of the hill and the more he listened, the more he was sure that they were the sound of Malums. His stomach churned but he pressed on, following Fred's lead. When they reached the top, Fred only stuck her head over the top and remained on her stomach, making sure that they didn't attract attention. Rory nearly ruined it though, when he looked over too and nearly gasped loudly.

Below them, the hill fell down just as steeply and opened up into a great valley. In the centre was a huge set of stone steps leading inside the rock face over the other side of the valley. Out of the top of the rock face shone a beam of white light which went so far up it dissected the clouds above it. So that was the Eye and below it was a group of Malums bigger than he had even seen. In fact, Rory was sure that 'group' didn't really cover it. Army, was probably a better term for the number of them. Having apparently seen all she needed to, Fred let herself slide down the hill on her back and Rory followed, thinking sliding down was much more fun than climbing up.

* * *

><p>When Fred and Rory rejoined the group, they were all well rested and a little more relaxed than before. Even the Doctor had pushed aside his worries for now and had begun telling the army soldiers about his travels, with occasional input from Amy who veered the stories back to how they really happened when the Doctor got too carried away. Fred was reluctant to spoil their better humours but she had to break the news. She told Napier what she had found first, but soon everyone had fallen silent to listen.<p>

"So we have to get to the Eye by going through all of the Malums?" Napier confirmed, leaning against a boulder with a slight frown on his face. "There's no way around?"

Fred shook her head. "None. The rock face surrounding it is way too steep; it's just a sheer drop."

Napier cursed.

"Everyone ready yourselves. We're moving out!" Fred called to everyone. The Elite teams were ready but the army groups looked terrified. Fred smiled at a few of them to try and appease them but Deimos said loudly,

"Don't worry lads...just enjoy that lovely sunset! See it? See that orange and red glow? That's the colour of Malum blood. Bloody beautiful."

Napier swatted the back of his head.

"What? I'm cheering 'em up!"

* * *

><p>At the base of the hill, Fred called for everyone to stop again. This time instead of giving them all rest, she assigned them all orders, and made all of her team head of different areas. She instructed Rudi to take a group of army soldiers and the sniper from Shaw's team and make their way up onto the rock face where they could shoot down. Rudi departed with his group, wishing everyone good luck and, rather optimistically saying that they would all see each other soon.<p>

She called Deimos and he bounded up to her, excited.

"Deimos, I want you to lead the charge through the middle with the rest of the Elite members and the soldiers."

"Me?" He was surprised but pleasantly so. "Why not Napier?"

"He'll be there too but he'll be the commanding officer so he'll need to have a general over view. I want you to lead from the front."

"Ma'am?" Napier asked, a little confused.

"Doctor!" Fred called, keeping Napier's question on hold.

The Doctor wandered towards them, not feeling at all comfortable with this battle situation. "What is it?" He asked her, not sure what sort of terms they were on but she smiled at him and he relaxed a little, seeing a glimpse of the Fred he adored just hidden under the commander's mask.

"We're going to have to get you through the middle to the Eye. Before we left, Garnett told me that a maximum of two should go with you; we don't really want to draw attention to the fact we're aiming to get inside. Hopefully, the Malums will be too distracted by Deimos's attack that they would pay too much attention to us." She smiled at him again and stood so close to him that their arms brushed. "Is that alright by you?"

"Of course!" The Doctor said chirpily, knowing he should push aside all of his worries for now and just get this sorted as quickly as possible.

"Good." Her fingers brushed against his momentarily before she moved on.

"I'm coming with you?" Napier asked, ready for action.

"No." Fred said, almost guiltily.

"No?" Napier echoed, surprised.

"I'm going with them." Shaw interrupted smoothly, his helmet under his arm.

"Him?" Napier glared. "Why him?"

"Don't, Tom." Fred said, not wanting a situation. "Now really isn't the time for this." She leaned in close to Napier and muttered, "Please Tom. I want you out here covering my back if anything goes wrong."

Napier nodded slowly. "Fine. I'll take the lead out here. Just watch your back alright? I don't trust him."

Fred nodded too. "I will." She linked arms with the Doctor who was surprised by her jovial mood and led him over to Rory and Amy. "Right. You two. You're staying down here."

Rory spluttered into protest. "Fred, I really – "

"No, Rory." Fred fixed them all with a soft smile. "You two are way too important for me to risk your lives."

"Can we at least see?" Amy asked, not wanting to be completely out of the loop.

Fred sighed but consented, calling Rudi on her comm. "Rudi's waiting for you. Stay with him and do everything he says, got it?"

They both nodded and Fred was satisfied that they would be safe. She linked arms with the Doctor again and wandered with him to the weapons stack.

He glanced at her and noticed she was smiling again.

"What are you so happy about?"

She beamed at him, happy to be in his company again. "This is nearly over. One last push and it's done."

* * *

><p><em>Eeee! The next chapter will be the final battle and then there's only one more and the epilogue! It's over so soon!<em>

_Please leave a review...they inspire me to write quicker! You never know, I might get one up over the weekend too :)_


	15. The Final Downpour

A/N: A quick update for once! Yay! I've pretty much got the rest of the story written so it should be finished during next week!

Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter: **Simpa007, alyssa love, MayFairy **and **Mrs 11th.**

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><p><span>The Final Downpour<span>

Deimos stood on the hill, his feet sinking in the dust as he lifted his gun in the air and bellowed, "GET READY YOU BASTARDS!"

His scream could be heard across the valley and that was just what he wanted. The thousands of Malums gathered in front of the giant stone steps all turned to look at him before they all began to hurry into battle formation, surprised but not flustered by the sudden attack.

Behind him, he heard Napier snort and the Commander chuckle. He turned to her, grinning.

"Do you reckon they heard Ma'am?"

"I think so, yes. I knew you were the man for the job." She turned to pull her gun over her back but he grabbed her arm as his huge team of Elites and army soldiers lined up behind him. She looked at him in surprise as he kissed her hand and gave her a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Ma'am. I don't like many people but you...you've been special."

"Deimos – " She began over the noise of the soldiers readying themselves.

"I know chances are I ain't making it through this. And that's alright. Wouldn't want to die any other way. Just wanted to say that...you've meant a lot to me."

"And you mean a lot to me." She smiled sadly, squeezing his hand. "To all of us."

He snorted. "Rudi, maybe; we've always been friends. And Phin and Rory were good mates too. But I don't reckon Napier'll miss me when I'm gone."

"He cares for you more than you think. I know you two have never seen eye to eye but you're like brothers. And stop saying this is the end! It's not, you've got plenty – "

"I ain't stupid, even if I act it sometimes. There ain't much chance, Ma'am...Fred. And that's alright."

He winked at her, dropped her hand and made his way to the front of the assembled soldiers. "Come on then, lads. Let's cut some throats. FORWARD!"

* * *

><p>Rory heard Deimos' shout and the next thing he saw was a huge cloud of red dust rising up into the dusk night air. Through the dust came Deimos, a gun strapped to his back and a huge knife in his hand. Behind him, the soldiers followed shooting on the Malums that were shrieking and charging towards them. Behind them, Napier brought up the rear, his trademark huge machine gun in both of his giant hands. He opened fired, cutting through the Malums' lines with ease and he spoke into a comms unit strapped to his head. Everyone had decided to go without helmets for this last battle and, while nobody else admitted he was right, Deimos had said "If I'm going to die, I want the bastards who kill me to see my face."<p>

No one wanted to hide today.

Next to Rory, Rudi fired three shots in a row, taking down three Malums easily. Rory felt Amy squeeze his hand and she said, "They're coming!"

Over the hill came a female figure with a helmet on, followed by the Doctor who looked awkwardly out of place and a tall, muscular, helmeted figure patted his back, urging him forwards, down the hill and into the bloody battle below.

Napier's voice suddenly crackle over the comms unit Rudi had placed on the ground. "The Commanders and the Doctor are on their way. Rudi, keep your gun on them. Shoot anything that gets near."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

><p>The Doctor was trying to keep his eyes on Fred in front of him and not look at anything else.<p>

The Doctor wasn't scared very often but now, he was very much on edge. War was something he couldn't comprehend; he specialised in mental battles not physical ones. Now, he realised what Fred had been trying to tell him all along. These creatures weren't capable of reason. They attack wildly again and again, slaughtering soldiers and shrieking with joy. They weren't relatable, they were beasts. Beasts that were made for this fight. All he could hear were animalistic cries, gun fire and the last, rasping breaths of the soldiers dying around them.

"WATCH OUT!" Shaw's voice screamed behind him and the Doctor felt a hand on his shoulder drag him down onto the floor. A split second later, a bolt of plasma flew through the air where his head had been just a moment before. Fred turned to help the Doctor and Shaw back onto their feet but a Malum launched at her with a knife. She side-stepped out of its way and it swung the blade above its head, ready to bring it down in a deadly strike to her neck but she pulled her own knife from her hip and pushed it into the soft flesh of its side, drenching her hand in orange-red blood. It howled and fell to the floor, twitching.

Her success was short lived when another three charged at her, angry at her murder of their comrade. The Doctor and Shaw both leapt to their feet ready to help but she cried,

"NO! STAY THERE! IF THE DOCTOR DIES, WE ALL DO! PROTECT HIM!"

Shaw reluctantly did as he was told, and pulled his gun out. He took aim at the Malums surrounding Fred but didn't shoot, unable to get a clear shot.

Fred floored one but both she could finish it off, another dealt her a colossal blow to the head, sending her helmet flying off her head and her mind reeling. She growled in anger and pain and ducked out of the Malum's reach just in time and managed to stab it through the neck as it charged at her again. This only made the remaining two more determined. She fought them off but she was outnumbered and outmuscled.

The Doctor felt like he was watching it all in slow motion as she turned to stab one, thinking the other was still reeling from her earlier attack but it had struggled to its feet and launched at her, it's teeth bared. The Doctor made to push past Shaw – alright so he wasn't a fighter but he had to do _something_ – but as the one in front of her fell and she whipped around, just noticing the Malum about to deal her a death blow, it fell in front of her, a long knife in its stomach. Deimos stood behind its body, grinning.

"Thought you could do with a hand, Ma'am."

She grinned back. "Thank you! You're doing well!"

"Well, I aim to – " Deimos' words turned into a pained groan as there was a loud shot and he fell to his knees, holding his chest. Fred started forwards, her eyes wide with panic. She held him in her arms and moved his hands away from his chest too see the large gunshot wound staining his armour. He opened his mouth to talk but it turned into a cough which brought blood up into his mouth. He spat it out, and gave her an odd smile.

"H-hate to say..._I told you so..."_

"Don't be ridiculous, you're not dying – "

"You should get going. Finish off these bastards and have a drink for me later, eh?"

"_You're not dying – "_

"He's right, Fred!" Shaw called from behind them. "We need to get going."

"NO! I'M NOT LEAVING HIM!" Fred cried, her voice breaking slightly.

"Yes you bloody are!" A gruff voice said from their left. Fred glanced up from Deimos to see Napier striding towards them, dropping his gun beside a struggling Deimos and kneeling down. "He's right. Get going. I'll look after him and they way's mostly clear from here." Fred still looked unsure. "GO!"

Fred looked down a Deimos who gave her a bloody grin. She kissed his forehead affectionately and stood. "Come on then. Let's finish them off."

Napier watched them go, weaving their way through the crowd of the dead and the fighting and reach the grand stone steps. He was glad to find Deimos was still struggling on but his breath coming in rasps.

"Come on then." He slid one arm under his neck and the other below his knees and lifted. His back strained, but once he was stood, he could carry him easily. "Williams!" He bellowed into the comm. "I need you! Meet us at the top of the hill. You've got a patient."

Deimos struggled in Napier's arms. "It's too late."

Napier rolled his eyes. "Don't be so bloody dramatic. Williams'll have you fixed up in no time."

Deimos gazed up at his lieutenant for a moment before wheezing with laughter. Napier looked down at him, surprised but soon began chuckling too. He started up the hill and Rory's lanky figure came into view, his armour reflecting in the evening sun.

Deimos saw him too and choked out, "Don't say anything about knights."

Napier roared with laughter.

* * *

><p>The steps had been uneven, high and a little bit treacherous so Fred was glad that they had finally reached the top. Fred stopped from breath and Shaw hurried past her, checking the area to see if they were alone for now. The Doctor stood beside her, looking uneasy. She supposed that was understandable.<p>

"You alright?" She asked.

He nodded. "You?"

"Fine."

He grinned suddenly and she smiled, confused. "What?"

"I don't know. Just..you always make me smile."

Fred beamed, and took his hand, brushing her thumb across his fingers. She leaned in to kiss him –

"The entrance is around here."

A millimetre from his lips, she stopped and sighed. The Doctor did the same, a slight blush on his face. "I suppose now isn't really the time."

"I suppose not." She agreed, but was still a little disappointed. Shaw poked his head around the corner.

"Are you coming or not?"

The 'entrance' turned out to be little more than a crack in the wall and Fred had to breathe in to fit through. Once she was inside, she coughed; the air was thick with dust. The Doctor bounded in after her, squinting at his surroundings. He sonic'd the air and read the results without comment.

"What the hell is that?" Shaw asked, pointing at the sonic. "That's not authorised equipment, is it?"

"Not as such, no." The Doctor answered coolly.

Shaw frowned but said no more on the subject.

"What the hell is this place?" Fred looked around the wide, high room they had entered, marvelling at the chiselled stone walls.

"Not sure. It looks like a temple of sorts." The Doctor said, brushing the dust off the walls. All three of the saw nothing in the room, not even another door.

"So this is it? Where's the Eye?"

Fred took a step forwards and felt her foot slip on something. Before she could look down to see what it was, a square of wood on the floor slid away to reveal stone symbols.

"Errr, Doctor? What are they?"

The Doctor was gazing at them, almost open mouthed. He crouched down in front of them, reading the symbols.

"They're Gallifreyan." He breathed. "They're my home language. But that's not possible...how...?"

"What do they say?" Shaw asked, looking confused by the whole idea.

"They say '_Glory for the one who claims the night and defends the turning of time."_

"What do you suppose that means?" Fred said, crouching down next to the Doctor. "Is it like a warning? Or a challenge?"

The Doctor squinted in the semi-darkness at the rest of the room until his eyes fixed on something a few metres away. "Or maybe..." He began, hurrying towards something on the wall. "It's a clue."

He stood in front of another symbol etched into the thick stone on the wall. But this one didn't look Gallifreyan. It was in the shape of a key. Fred joined him and Shaw lingered behind them, excluded.

"What do you mean a clue?" Fred asked the Doctor quietly.

"Look around. There are loads of symbols on the walls." Fred glanced around and saw he was right; there was one in the shape of a flower, one was a bow and arrow, another was a star and another was cup. "The symbols are there to ensure that the only person who can translate the properly is a Time Lord and from the clue we can work out which is the correct symbol"

"And how do you know it's the key?"

"It's the only one that makes sense. The key is the symbol for the defence of time and history. I learned about it when I was young on Gallifrey. It is said that somewhere amongst the stars, there is a key that can unlock time. If you were to find the key, you could bend all of time to your will. No one's ever found it so no one knows if it's true. It's just one of those stories that people keep telling...like myths and folk tales on Earth."

"You're sure this is the right symbol?" Shaw asked, a little worried.

"Of course!"

"And what happens if whoever comes in here picks the wrong symbol?"

"A painful and slow death I should imagine!" The Doctor replied cheerfully. "Good job we've picked the right one then, isn't it?"

And before anyone could protest, the Doctor blew on his finger and traced the outline of the key symbol. He finished with a flourish and waited. It glowed and then nothing happened.

"Oh." The Doctor said, hands on hips.

"Perhaps you just need to push it." Fred leaned forward and pushed in the very middle of the key. The stone scraped back into the wall and fell back out of sight. A beam of light shot through the wall and Fred cried out, covering her eyes. They stepped back and watched the light illuminate all of the other symbols and out of them more light emerged. The light converged in the middle of the room and made one column of serene white light stretching from the floor to the ceiling and out of sight.

A deep voice echoed around the room in a language Fred didn't understand. The Doctor however, looked alarmed.

"_Welcome, Doctor. We have been waiting for you. Step into our light."_

"Doctor? What's it saying?" Fred cried as the Time Lord walked forward, entranced by the light and the voice. He stepped inside the beam and it lifted him from the floor, his feet hovering a metre from the ground. "Doctor?"

"I'm fine Fred!" He called, unable to move his head and look at her. "Just...stay back!"

"_She can't hear you, Doctor. While you are in our light, your friends cannot hear you."_

"Who are you? Show yourself! I don't like speaking to light."

"_Very well, Doctor you shall see me. I have been watching you all this time. But now, you will see me again."_

A face appeared in the light and the Doctor immediately tensed up. It was the face of the Parter they had met before this had all began. He smirked at the Doctor, his eerily smooth skin stretching across his bony face.

"_I should congratulate you, Doctor. Not many have passed our challenges; in fact most do not even find their companions again."_

"So what now? You just let me go? I've beaten you?"

The Parter laughed. _"Oh, Doctor! We have already won! We have done what was assigned to us and out master will be proud. We know what is to come. Has it occurred to you that this may not all be about you?"_

"Then who?" The Doctor cried, trying to scrabble towards the face in the light but it was too late, it had already disappeared and he was being lowered to the ground. "WHO?"

The Doctor felt his feet hit the ground and Fred's arms were thrown around him. "Are you alright? Is it over?"

The Doctor nodded mutely. Fred was about to ask him what was wrong but the light was hissing and growing behind them. It burst suddenly and cracked the stone walls, sending its rays outside.

The three of them rushed outside to see the light enveloping the battle below. The Malums were all lifted into the air, the light gave one last flash and then it was gone, taking the Malums with it. Fred watched as the remaining soldiers embraced and laughed with relief.

The war was over, and they had all survived. Somehow.

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><p><em>So the war's over! Wahoo! But what will happen with the Doctor and Fred? Only another chapter and the epilogue to go!<em>

_Please review!_


	16. The Calm

A/N: Here it is: the final full chapter! There is a little epilogue still to be posted after this which is **very** important to tying this whole story up and making room for the sequel (which is being planned as we speak!) Thanks to all of you for sticking with me through this story; I know it's a bit more up and down than 'Mind Games' was but hopefully the sequel will get back more to that dynamic (ie. it won't have so many characters...good news for me!) but more about that after the epilogue. For now, the final chapter!

Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter: **Mrs 11th, alyssa love, MayFairy** and a special thanks to **TheDoctorsMistress **who gave me sweetest review I've had in ages!

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><p><span>The Calm<span>

The officer's mess was buzzing with chatter and excitement as everyone sat and ate together, enjoying each other's company now the danger was over. Fred sat in the middle, next to Napier who was animatedly telling her about the time when he took two Malums out with one shot, a hunk of bread obscuring his mouth and ale sloshing over his lap. She laughed, not because the story's punch line was very funny but because she could.

Amy and Rory were snuggling on the sofa in the corner next to Rudi who was desperately trying to chat up a female soldier he had worked next to in the final battle. Shaw was stood with his team who were talking loudly in the opposite corner, away from the other Elite team, but Shaw occasionally glanced over at Fred when he thought she wasn't looking.

Suddenly, the room fell silent and everyone had turned to look at the door which had hissed open to reveal Deimos, his arm in a sling and his face battle scarred. He grinned but looked at little embarrassed for once when Napier stood and began applauding him as he came in. Fred stood up and joined him and the other soldiers followed suit; even Shaw's team clapped him on the back as he passed them.

"Yeah, yeah, alright!" Deimos grumbled but still looked pleased. Fred made room for him next to her on the bench and he sat gratefully as everyone got back to their chatting. He slid his arm around Fred cheekily who swatted it away, laughing.

Sat there in the middle of the officer's mess, Fred felt _right_. She loved this; she loved this feeling of accomplishment and relief that they were all revelling in. She knew that the Doctor would round up her, Amy and Rory soon and they would be gone but she just wanted to stay in this a little longer.

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><p>It was hours later when Fred stepped outside for a breather, relishing the feel of the cool night air on her flushed skin. She leaned against the wall and sighed contented, until she heard the door open again and Commander Shaw stepped outside and leaned against the wall next to her. He took a sip of his beer and Fred studied his handsome face with intrigue. She had always seen him as easy to read but since he had admitted he liked her and he had recommended her for the Commander's position, she had found him much harder to work out.<p>

"What are you going to do now, Shaw?" She asked quietly as she pulled the beer from his hands and stole a swig.

He took the beer back and held it, gazing out into the quiet night. "Aric."

"What?"

"Aric's my first name."

"You want me to use that instead?"

"Not necessarily. Just...wanted to give you the option."

"Right then, _Aric._ What are you going to do now?"

"Not sure. Suppose I'll be stuck here helping the clear up." He glared at her as she suddenly burst into laughter. "What?"

"Nothing! It's just...well, you're staying here? Really?"

"Why's that so funny?"

"I can't imagine you with a sweeping brush."

"I don't think it's going to be that sort of clear up." He said, a little icily. "Besides, Napier staying isn't he? Now he _really_ doesn't look like the type to help with the clear up."

"Oh, he will. He's bored of fighting for now. He needs a break."

"If you say so."

She stole another swig of his beer before saying seriously, "Is staying here really what you want?"

He thought for moment before saying firmly, "No. No, of course not. But it's what we've all been instructed to do and I have no vortex manipulator to get out of here."

She snorted. "You haven't got a vortex manipulator? And you call yourself a Time Agent?"

"It isn't my fault! They confiscated them all before the war. Stored them all up. There are none down here that I know of."

Fred raised her eyebrows. "Can you fix them?"

He fixed her with a suspicious look before answering. "Probably. Depends what's wrong with it."

"Damaged fuel cell. Nothing major."

"Are you serious? You've got one?"

She nodded, grinning. "Yep. Found it in the sand. Fix it and it's yours."

"Why? Why would you give it to me?"

Fred shrugged, smiling slightly. "Everyone deserves some adventure."

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><p>Napier pulled Fred into a bear hug and she could barely breathe he was holding her so tight but she didn't struggle, instead she enjoyed his uncharacteristic warmth while it lasted.<p>

"I can't believe you're going. It's going to be bloody odd without you." He pulled away at last and saw Fred's eyes were shining with tears. "Hey, hey, hey! Don't cry! Have this."

He handed her a small, silver disk that fitted in the palm of her hand. She looked at it and then looked back up at him, blank.

"What is it?"

"It's a homing beacon."

Fred frowned. "Like a pigeon?"

"What?"

She smiled. "Never mind. What does it do?"

"It means I can always find you. I can track the signal from that to my comms. You need me, I'll be there."

"Thank you, Tom. You've been an invaluable friend."

"You too, kid. Remember me, eh?"

"I'll do more than that...I'm sure I see you again."

He laughed and hugged her again. This chapter of his life was over but his new one – as Commander of the Elites – was just beginning.

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><p>"Come on, Ponds! Look who I've found!" The Doctor stepped aside to reveal the blue box they all called home. "The TARDIS has come home to her daddy!" He stroked the wood lovingly and threw open the door, gesturing for them to go inside. "Where's Fred?"<p>

"She's on her way. She's saying goodbye to the team." Amy said, relieved to be leaving. She lingered in the doorway of the TARDIS, taking in the lights and the smell and thinking how much like how this was. Even though Rory had had an emotional farewell with the rest of the team, he was relieved to be leaving too. Getting back to the usual everyday danger with aliens and planets would be almost relaxing now. _Almost._

"Doctor?" Amy asked, noticing the Doctor's happy face had darkened. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I just..." He trailed off as Amy gave him a stern look. "There's something odd about all of this. It was this epic battle and then...it was over so quickly. The Parters were defeated so easily and it feels like there's more to come. Like there's another layer to this."

"Hey!" Amy swatted his arm. "Don't complain that something was easy for once! So we got off light! Surely that's good?"

"It should be. But it just doesn't feel like it. When I was in the Eye, the Parters said...well, they _implied_ that they had won. They said that they had done what had been assigned to them."

"What, like someone had hired them?" Rory asked, looking alarmed.

The Doctor nodded grimly. "Whatever happened here, I've got a feeling this is only the start of our problems. Something's brewing beneath the surface and we'd better be ready when it comes."

Amy crossed her arms, thinking. "Doctor, you don't think this could be about Fred and the – "

"Ah, here she is!" The Doctor called loudly to cover their conversation, his cheerful mask back in place as he spotted Fred wandering down the corridor towards them, pushing her wild hair back from her face. "Come on then, where are we off now? Somewhere we can let down out hair perhaps? A Pleasure Planet!"

Rory and Amy both murmured their approval as Fred came to a halt in front of them, looking a little awkward. "Doctor – "

"Or we could go to that planet I found two left turns from Pluto! It has mountains made of fudge! Can you imagine that?"

"Doctor – "

"Or, or, or! We could go back to early twentieth century Russia and meet Rasputin! The Mad Monk! I wonder if he likes fudge?"

"Doctor, I – "

"What about the glittering lakes of Velveture? Now _that's_ a place to swim!"

"Doctor!" Fred finally managed to halt him. "Doctor, I...I'm not coming with you."

The Doctor did nothing except close his eyes, as though he had known this was coming. He rubbed his face with his hands and looked at her with a pleading expression.

"Why?"

Fred winced. "You know why: this doesn't work anymore, you know that. We bicker way too much and our opinions are getting more and more different by the day. I just think...you three would work better without me."

"No, no, no, _I wouldn't work better without you!"_ The Doctor seized her by her shoulders and almost shook her. "I don't want to let you go."

Hot tears began to fall down Fred's face. "I know. And I don't want to go. But this isn't right anymore. We don't work together like we used to."

The Doctor closed his eyes again and rested his forehead on hers. She put her arms around him and cried on his shoulder. Eventually, they both parted and Fred hugged Amy – who had also begun to cry and Rory, whose lip was quivering slightly.

Fred gave them a watery smile. "Look after each other." And then she took a step back from them all, as though she was ready to watch them go but the Doctor grabbed her arm before she could properly turn away.

"Wait. Please, just...wait here for one minute. I need to..." He gestured inside the TARDIS. "There's something I want to give you."

Fred was confused but nodded anyway. He was only gone a few seconds before he reappeared again, clutching something in his right hand.

"Here." He said, holding it out to her.

She took it tentatively and only had to study it for a moment before realising what it was – a sonic screwdriver.

"For me?" She was incredibly touched.

He nodded. "I've been working on a new prototype for a while now. It's different to mine but I suppose you'll get used to it."

"Thank you." She said sincerely and kissed him passionately through their tears. They both clung on, reluctant to let go of each other because they knew that when they did, this would be the end for them.

"For now." She said suddenly as they parted once more. "This is only the end for now."

The Doctor managed a smile through his tears. "Yes. There's more of us to come, I think."

Fred sighed and wiped her tears. "Now get going, you lot! Quick, before Napier hands you a sweeping brush."

They all laughed and hugged one last time.

"What will you do?" Amy asked. "Stay here?"

"No. I think...I think I'm going to be travelling." Fred smiled and on cue a voice called down the corridor.

"Come on then, Knight! The universe is waiting for us!"

Aric Shaw stood there, fiddling with the vortex manipulator strapped to his wrist, a mischievous grin on his face. Fred grinned back, sure that leaving – no matter how hard – was the right thing to do.

Amy and Rory entered the TARDIS, waving farewell and Fred spoke to the Doctor one last time.

"You know I think I'm strong enough now."

"Strong enough for what?" He asked.

"Strong enough for you to call me when you need me." She tapped the side of her head and smiled, turning towards Shaw and leaving the Doctor behind. Even as she was leaving, she called, "Eternal bonding, Doctor! I promised eternity and eternity is what you'll get!" She turned back to him and winked. "Call me!"

He laughed and nodded, watching her take Shaw's arm and lead him around the corner and out of sight.

"I will."

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><p>She watched Aric tap the buttons of the vortex manipulator and straighten back up, giving her a dazzling smile.<p>

"I've put Sille as our first port of call. Very relaxing, very tranquil. Ready?"

Fred took a deep breath, wiped away the residue of her tears and nodded. "Let's go."

His hand slammed down on the button, sending them rocketing through the time and space. The last thing Fred heard before they left Acadess was the whir of the TARDIS taking off, taking her loved ones far away.

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><p><em>So Fred's gone! I'm cruel to you, aren't I? Well, I DID say they wouldn't be the same again! Just the epilogue to go!<em>

_Please leave a review! Thanks oodles xx_


	17. Epilogue: Ominous Shadows

Epilogue: Ominous Shadows

Led side by side next to the crackling fire, Fred Knight and Aric Shaw were resting far away from where they came; they had landed on a beautiful planet called Sille a few hours ago. Aric had been eager to explore immediately, suggesting a hike across the mountains in the distance but Fred had protested, far too tired. She had drifted into a pleasant sleep almost as soon as they had started the fire, enjoying the warmth and the quiet company of Aric.

Aric himself found sleep eluded him and frankly, he had no desire to chase it. He was content to watch the stunning glow of the three moons bouncing across the glittering still of the lake to his left. He was excited; excited about the adventures that were coming to them. He was excited to be sharing them with her, this extraordinary young woman from the past.

Suddenly, she woke with a gasp, her green eyes wide as her hands gripped the thin blanket covering her. Aric frowned.

"What's wrong, Knight? Bad dream?"

"Yeah." She settled down again but her knuckles were still white and her mind was racing.

"What was it about?" He enquired idly, leaning behind to stoke the fire. She paused for a while, as though she was deciding what to tell him.

"Nothing." She said finally. "Nothing important anyway. Just a shadow of the past."

She flashed him a smile and he smiled back and turned back to the fire, satisfied that everything was fine with her. But as soon as he looked away, Fred's face dropped. She blinked and shook her head but her mind refused to stop flashing the images of her dream behind her eyes.

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><p>Centuries and light-years away, Cresak trod the familiar path to his boss' room; past the harem of beautiful, exotic women in pools of glittering water, past the clocks that were all set at different times and past the lethal stack of weapons piled up along the increasingly narrowing corridor. When he finally reached the dark door, Cresak raised one of his small hands and flicked the knocker with his third – and last – finger. A voice called for him to enter and Cresak pushed open the door.<p>

The living embodiment of Fred's dream was sat on the edge of an ebony bed, a glass of deep red liquid in his left hand. Cresak handed his boss a glowing golden orb proudly. His boss twirled it in his right hand, admiring the images inside as the light bounced off his white blonde hair. A feral grin tore across his face and his velvety dark eyes shone.

"She has left him, sir." Cresak said, nervously fiddling with his belt. "The plan has gone as we hoped."

A deep laugh rumbled in his boss' chest. "Yes. Well done, Cresak. Soon she will be with us. Soon she will be back with her Master."

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><p><em>The Master! Didn't you just know he was behind this somehow?<em>

_So there we are! 'Parted Minds' is all over! A sequel is very much in the works as long as everyone is still on board. I have already gone as far to plan out the chapters...I think there's going to be 11 (rather fitting!)_

_But, for now, I'm taking a break from this series. I think this will always be **the** series of mine, but I feel like I need to write a few other things for a while; I have deliciously dark Harry Potter multi chap in the works which will hopefully be going up on here soon **and **I'm writing a diary style HP fic with my best friend! It's all very exciting for me! _

_I can't say how long I'll be away from Fred, a few months probably, but while I won't be posting the sequel yet, I will still be updating 'Four Minds' so you'll still get your Fred/Doctor fixes!_

_Thanks to everyone who read, faved and alerted this fic but HUGE LOVE to all those who reviewed...you're all such lovely people and I hope you're all still on board for more when it comes!_

_Goodbye for now (And apologies for this stupidly long author's note!),_

_OhTex :)_


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